


Scared Of The Dark

by Gr8PwrGr8Rspnsblty



Series: Spider Dad and Son [9]
Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Alternate Origin Story, Angst, Child Soldiers, Everyone Needs A Hug, Human Experimentation, Hurt Peter Parker, Loss of Identity, Miles Morales Needs a Hug, Miles is an angel, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Peter Parker/Mary Jane Watson, Peter is trying his best, Protective Peter Parker, Sassy Peter, Secret adoption, Slow Build, Some Humor, new powers, other characters to be added - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-10-26 08:48:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17742782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gr8PwrGr8Rspnsblty/pseuds/Gr8PwrGr8Rspnsblty
Summary: Strange dreams from his childhood, new powers, old friends and new friends.When Miles starts attending Visions Academy after passing the entrance exam things begin to happen in his life leaving Miles with more questions than answers.





	1. Feliz Cumpleaños

_ Roses. _

 

_ It smelt like apple cinnamon. He would know, it was one of his favorite smells. It filled his nose and head giving him a sense of calm. Miles no longer seemed to be off put by being in a white endless void. Everything was alright.  _

 

_ “Feliz cumpleaños a ti..” _

 

_ Miles’s ears perked up at the soft gentle voice singing. It sounded as if the singing was done up close to his ears. It was so soothing and clear. “Feliz cumpleaños a ti…”  _

_ Slowly the teenager turned around. At first he didn’t see anything but before he knew it the whole scenery changed around him. He was suddenly in some room he’s never seen before-a nursery. It was dark, night time by the looks of it. The room was painted a shade of light blue with what Miles could make out as clouds painted on it. The room was pretty spaced out, a rocking chair to one corner and a changing table in another. The carpet beneath him was soft, softer than his in his room. The windows were all closed but still had the moons light sneaking in. A crib laid front in center in the room, above it a mobile with what looked like planets on it. However the dim lighting made it impossible to tell for sure.  _

_ Other than the what’s painted on the walls, very few pictures were hung. But for some reason he couldn’t seem make out what was actually painted on it despite the face he was looking straight at him. It looked like a blur to him.  _

_ Miles blinked, the once empty room he was standing in suddenly had a woman in front of the crib staring down inside. From what he could tell, she had curly dark brown hair and olive colored skin. He couldn’t see her face completely since she was facing away from him.  _

_ “Happy birthday to you…..”   _

_ The voice began to fade, as if it was miles away from him. Despite being only a few steps away. Miles tried to take a step closer towards the voice but a sudden burst of flames burned a barrier between the woman and him. The heat pricked his skin, causing him to step backwards. Miles watched the ever burning fire that blazed in front of him spread through the room.  _

_ Then the woman stopped singing. Smoke clouded the room as a spine tingling laugher flooded the room.  _

_ “Hey lady!” Miles tried to call out. “Run! The room is on fire!” The woman didn’t seem to hear him. She stayed still, looking over at whatever was inside the crib. The teen tried to find an exit as smoke started to cloud his lungs. He looked behind himself to see a large black door.  _

_ Miles began to cough by the time he looked back at the woman. Something inside him wanted the woman to listen and run with him, while another wanted to run from the bright flames encasing the nursery.  _

_ “Miss! You have to run!” When the woman didn’t respond a gnawing feeling in his gut left him staring at the woman. He couldn’t just leave her in here to burn! He had to help this woman!  _

_ Miles took one last glance at the door before taking a step back. Once he took that step, the door dissolved right before him into nothing leaving him trapped as well.  _

_ Miles fully turned around towards the woman before assessing the situation. Nearly the whole room was encased in flames except for the back wall where the crib and woman were near. He glanced at the flame barrier before taking a deep breath of the smoky air. He knew what he had to do but it didn’t mean he liked it. Miles covered his mouth, stepped back towards the wall behind him, and steadied himself.  _

_ He didn’t have much time to rethink before his legs took off running towards the rampaging flames. Everything felt as if it was happening in slow motion as he threw his body up to jump over the flames. However mid jump the room around him crumpled, fading into nothing. Miles looked at the woman, wide eyed in horror, to see her slowly begin to turn towards him as if she finally heard him.  _

_ Before he could get a good look at her face, Miles was consumed by the dark abyss beneath him.  _

 

* * *

__

 

Miles woke with a gasp. 

 

He sat up and looked around his room while trying desperately to catch his breath. He was back inside his room, no longer falling. 

Miles wiped the beading sweat off his forehead, trying to calm himself. His shirt was stained with his sweat and his blanket was discarded on the ground. He must’ve thrown it off during his….dream. 

He looked at his bedside table to look at his phone. He picked it up and turned it on, checking the time. It was nearly one in the morning. He sighed, throwing his phone back on the table.  

 

Miles couldn’t believe he had the dream again. 

 

Why now? The last time he had it he was merely five! It’s been seven years since he had that dream! Now he was twelve! Wait. Miles looked at the calendar hung on his wall. The date was circled. ‘ _ MY BIRTHDAY _ ’ it said in bright red letters  written marker. He was thirteen now. 

That didn’t make him feel much better. 

“Calm down Miles, it’s probably nothing. Just go back to bed. Hopefully no more dreaming,” Miles told himself. He began to lay down after picking back up his blanket and tucked himself back in.

 

* * *

 

Miles woke up to the fresh smell of McDonald’s breakfast platter. He recognized that artificial food smell anywhere. The teen pushed himself up from bed, standing up and stretching. His body felt heavy. He blamed it on his horrible sleep. After having the stupid dream-nope he wasn’t even gonna think about it! 

Miles walked towards the door, opening it and walking out in his pjs. He walked into the bathroom first, brushing his teeth and using the toilet, before making his way into the living room/kitchen. As his nose detected, a bag of McDonald’s laid on the table. However what he didn’t know was his dad was actually sitting at the table drinking coffee while reading the newspaper wearing normal clothing. Which was probably more shocking than the actual breakfast. Was he in an alternative dimension? His dad almost looks like a normal functioning human being! The background kinda ruined the normal look since it was a mess with burnt food and random food smeared everywhere. Maybe this is a clone and his real dad is trapped in some weird bad guys basement torturing them with all his bad jokes.

“Uh...dad?” Peter looked up from his newspaper and at Miles who was standing in the middle of the room with a confused expression on his face. “Well look who decided to join us! If it isn’t the birthday boy himself!” 

“What-“

“Look I brought you breakfast! Ignore everything else. A raccoon broke in while you were asleep and tried to cook. Made a mess. Had to kick him out.” Miles snorted. Of course. He should’ve known. He walked towards the table and peaked into the bag to see a typical breakfast platter with hash browns, pancakes, sausage, and what looked like eggs that had been squished together like clay. Wasn’t exactly what he had in mind for breakfast but he wasn’t not gonna eat it. 

“Thanks dad.” 

“No problem Miles.” 

Miles sat down to eat starting off with the best part of the whole platter, the hashbrowns. He just liked anything potatoes, and hash browns were no acception. “Woah don’t choke. Don’t need you dying on your birthday. What would people think when I say my kid died from eating hash browns too quickly?” Miles swallowed the food in his mouth before looking at his father. “At least I’d go out eating my favorite food. What happens after doesn’t really matter,” He stated. “Though I’d say they wouldn’t be surprised. Have you seen yourself eat a hamburger?” 

“Ouch.” Miles smiled. “Have you gotten sassier in the last 24 hours or is it just me?” The teen let out a small laugh. How he missed conversations like this. 

“Maybe I did. A lot can change in 24 hours.”

Miles went on to finish his food before he was ambushed by another surprise. His father led him into the living room before handing him a colourful poorly wrapped box. It looked as if it had been ran over and thrown off a steep cliff. He raised his brow, gazing into his father’s eyes waiting for an explanation. 

“The people at the mall charged ten extra dollars to wrap gifts.” Miles nodded in understanding. He probably would’ve done the same in his father situation and kept those ten dollars. 

The teen teared through the wrapping quickly, throwing it onto the ground, then moving to open the box underneath. Inside was a brand new hardcover sketch book along with a pack of copic markers. Just when the young teen was about to roast his father about the poor wrapping the cocky man had to make him feel like a total jerk. 

“Dad...you didn’t have to-“

“Of course I did. You’ve been wanting a new sketchbook after losing yours and markers. Did you know these marker things are the most popular thing around the artist community? Crazy.” Miles probably looked like a idiot with his gaping mouth.  He couldn’t help it. The teen knew how pricey these markers could be. He’s checked everywhere trying to find cheap ones! He could barely imagine how much his father spent on these! 

“Dad I can’t take these!” It felt like he was holding some godly brick of gold in his hand. He couldn’t even bring himself to look at it incase his stare would damage the product.  “You could’ve used the money for groceries or-“ 

Miles was cut off by his dad stating, “Don’t worry. The place I got them from owed me after I stopped a robbery. So I got a pretty good deal.” The thirteen year old let out a relief breath. Now he felt a bit better about being given these insanely expensive markers. “Plus you’ve been a good kid this year. I mean with everything that happened..,” The was a brief pause as his father’s face tightened, “you deserve this.” 

His father took a deep breath before plastering on a smile for him. “Plus now you use this at your new school!” The mention of his new school made the teenager tense. He had totally forgotten about it. 

“Yeah, I guess.” 

“See! Now just try not to lose it like you did the last one. We don’t need some sailor across the sea finding your sketchbook floating away.”

“It was one time! It’s not like I wanted to lose my sketchbook in the water while on field trip in a boat! It was windy that day and the boat was shaking!” Miles glared at his father who burst out laughing. The stern look on his face didn’t last long seeing as other people laughing was his greatest weakness. Against his will, the teen let out a muffled laugh. He cursed himself for letting his dad win. 

Despite his loss, he felt happy that his dad was up and laughing. Strange but good. He knew how rough the past couple years has been on the older man, and the struggles he went through. Sure his father put up facade that he was alright but Miles knew better. So it felt good to hear the familiar wholehearted laugh. It’s like he had his old dad back even if it was for a moment.

“Seeing as my son proves to be a clumsy reck I hereby forbid you for going on boats with your sketchbook.”

“Great. Whatever will I do?” His time was flat and full of all the sarcasm he could muster. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You always seem to.”

Miles smiled. 

For a day where he’s supposed to have a crisis about growing old, it was turning out pretty alright. 

 

* * *

 

“Thanks for meeting with me Miles.”

_ He shouldn’t be here. _

The thought was stuck in Miles mind like a peice of gum, his gaze was focused on the frozen treat in front of him. He sat at a table right outside a small frozen yogurt shop. His body was tense with worry. 

“I know it’s been a while since we’ve spoken...but I’ve missed you Miles. I just want to maybe catch up?” His Aunt Mary Jane asked. 

The teen tried to avoid looking into the redheads downhearted baby blue eyes. 

Miles felt wrong being there. He told his father he was gonna go hang out with a friend. He was betraying his father’s trust for simply being in the same vicinity as his aunt. 

However on the other hand, he was glad to see his aunt. He missed her deeply. He missed everything about her from the sound of her voice to the smell of her perfume. The redhead had practically been the only mother figure to him his whole life. 

Miles didn’t know the full extent of what happened between his dad and his aunt them. Aunt May had been very vague when she tried to explain to him all that time ago. From what he got from the conversation, his aunt and father had a messy break up and needed space. A lot of it apparently since they’ve been apart for a whole year. Both parties pulled away, cutting off all connection between each other. Neither seemed mad at each other however, a more of an melancholy air surrounded them and their situation.

However it didn’t make up for the sadness he and his father felt when his Aunt left. Things had changed.

“How’s school?” Aunt MJ asked in attempt to ignite a conversation.

“I’m starting a new school on Monday,” Miles muttered with a hint of bitterness towards the topic. The subject of his new school left his stomach in knots. 

“Oh really? What school?” The teen had wished his Aunt would let the subject of school go. It wasn’t something he really wanted to think about. 

“Visions Academy.” The teen’s sour tone didn’t go unnoticed by his aunt. “Let me guess, you’re not a big fan of this school?” Mile’s raised his eyes to greet his aunts for the first since arriving.

“No. I want to go back to my old school with all my friends,” Miles confessed, his tone low-spirited. He hadn’t realized he was holding his breath until now when he let it go. Changing schools was probably the worst thing to have happened to him. Which was saying something. He missed his old friends and hangouts. Heck he even missed his teachers! He missed their easy assignments and old jokes that would become a living meme among his peers. He had practically grew up with everyone at Brooklyn Middle, they all were practically family in some weird way. 

“Have you told your father?”

“Yes but he’s the one who wanted me to go there.” Miles fought hard against going to this new school. He’d argue that they were elitist and that he rather be amoung the people. It led to many late night arguments which would always end with him backing down. Mostly because he knew he wouldn’t get anywhere by yelling at eachother.

“I’m sorry. I know your father only wants what’s best for you,” His Aunt told him. Her smile was reminiscent of earlier years when she witness firsthand Peter’s large caring heart. However Miles scoffed at that saying, “Yeah right. It feels more like he’s trying to get rid of me.” 

“Miles!” The smaller boy jumped at the sudden raise of tone. “Your father would never try to get rid of you! He loves you! He’s rather take on the sinister six with nothing but his bare fists than try to get rid of you!” Miles sighed. Deep down he knew his aunt was right. His father would throw hands with every single superpowered villain if they even breath in his direction. It was comforting yet terrifying. 

“I’m sorry Aunt MJ. I didn’t mean that,” Miles apologized.  MJ sighed. “I know Miles,” His Aunt leaned forward, “Your father may not always be right and may make many mistakes, but that will never change the fact that he loves you.” 

Miles took a deep breath. He really hadn’t counted on getting emotional while secretly meeting his aunt in front of a frozen yogurt shop but here he was. 

“I missed you Aunt MJ,” He whispered. 

“I missed my little spider kid too.” MJ gave him a soft caring smile. How Miles had missed his aunts smile. It always made him feel better. “You can come home ya know? I’m sure dad will really like that. He misses you too. I’m sure you guys can work it out.” It was a sad attempt at trying to repair their broken family but it was all he got in the moment. 

“I wish things were that easy Miles.”

“Me too.” 

There was a long sorrowful silence that fell upon the two. Neither party knew what to say. 

Miles started at the dropping sun, his eyes misty probably from allergies. 

_ Yeah totally allergies _ . 

_ Wait. Did spider people like him get allergies?  _ Miles shook the thoughts away, forcing himself to stay on task. Though he made a mental note to ask about that later. 

“I should get home before dad thinks the goblin kidnapped me or something.” His Aunt looked up looking slightly disappointed. She quickly shook the mournful frown from her face, forcing a smile for him. It was painfully obvious she didn’t want him and the feeling was mutual. 

Miles started getting up from his chair when his aunt suddenly blurted out, “Oh wait! I almost forgot! Your gift!” His aunt fumbled around in her purse before pulling out a unexpectedly large perfectly wrapped gift. Before he could possibly ask how that large gift could fit inside here normal sized looking purse his Aunt spoke again. “I know it’s kinda weird but I thought maybe you’d find something fun to do with this.”

Miles took a moment to admire the red and black wrapping paper, it was a pleasing aesthetic, before opening the gift.

“It’s uh….spy kit?” 

“Yeah! I thought you might enjoy testing out all the...you don’t like it do you? Dammit. I knew I should’ve gotten the chemistry kit.” Miles shook his head. “No! It’s great! I love it!” His Aunt looked at him completely unconvinced. 

“I swear Aunt May it’s great! Thank you!” 

“You’re welcome sweetheart,” His Aunt pulled him into a side hug before planting two kisses on both his cheeks. “Alright. Make sure to be safe walking home and please,” Miles looked his Aunt in the eyes, “take care of your father. For the sake of both of our sanity.” 

The teenager nodded. “I promise.” His Aunt looked grateful.

“Goodbye Aunt MJ.” 

“Bye Miles. Love you.”

“Love you too.” 

With that said Miles begin his journey home with his new spy kit. He was barely ten minutes into his walk when he felt somebody shove past him, bumping his shoulder. He could make barley make out the form of a tall individual rushing past him. He didn’t get a good look at the person's face but he wasn’t that upset. 

It was New York after all. Nobody cared about anything unless it directly affected themselves. It was what they were known for.

So instead of thinking too much into it, Miles decided to keep walking.


	2. Welcome to Vision’s Academy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Visions Academy, where only the brightest attend and the richest enroll their kids.
> 
> Miles was just lucky to win the lottery.

When Miles awoke on Monday morning he was instantly greeted with a sore body. His whole body ached. Though most notably the worst aching part was his arms and the sore feeling led all the way down to his fingertips. When he sat up, he was hit with a sense of dizziness. Great. Of course he had to be sick on his first day of school. 

Miles shook his head. 

First day was already off to a rough start. Go figure.

The teen got up, spent the most of his morning trying to get ready for the day. He took occasional breaks to color in his brand new sketchbook. Though it wasn’t until he heard his father yelling at him to hurry did he rush out his door with his suitcase and backpack. He ran into the kitchen, picking out a finest looking apple, and made his way to the door where his dad was waiting for him. 

“You want a ride?” Miles shook his head. In no way would be driven to school in his father’s old banged up moped. It’s a miracle that it was even able to be put back together. “Your loss.”

Miles was gonna walk out the door and start his walk to hell, aka Vision’s Academy, when his father suddenly grabbed his shoulder pulling him into a tight hug. His eyes wide, caught completely off guard. 

“Uh dad-“ His father pulled back and gave him a smile. “Remember to call or text me every night. Be safe. Always have your phone with you and on. Don’t stay out too late and please make sure somebody knows where you are if you do go out-“

“Dad. I can handle myself. I’ve got...,” Miles looked around making sure the coast was clear before saying in a hush tone, “spider powers too.” He pretended to thwip his wrists. “I know. Just please be careful.” He nodded. That would probably be an easy promise seeing as he has no interest in doing anything that would remotely hurt himself. Contrary to popular belief, he doesn’t share the same need for living the high life like his father. He just wants to be a normal kid that happens to have powers. 

“Alright. I’ll see you Friday evening. Love you Miles.” 

“Love you too dad.” 

 

* * *

 

Arriving at his new school was probably the most nerve wracking thing he’s experienced. He couldn’t help but feel subconscious on everything about himself. For instance, despite them all wearing uniform he felt like they were judging his clothes. Maybe they weren’t happy he was wearing the uniform or maybe it’s his mind making him think that. Was this what social anxiety like? Everyone seemed like they fit, hanging with their own cliques and groups. They were like sharks waiting for small little fishes like him to tear apart. This feeling was completely new to him. At his old school he was practically friends with everyone or at least on somewhat good terms. They all shared some form of mutual respect for each other and always welcome new incomers. He couldn’t count how many times he’s told students on their first day on school at Brooklyn Middle to not be nervous and that they’d get use to it here. 

How the tides have turned. 

Where was a Miles when you need him? 

Miles walked up the stairs and walked through the entrance. Maybe he’s being overdramatic and overthinking things. For all he knew the people could be really nice and he’s making them out to be horrible students. He should probably try talking to some people, make small talk like he would in his old school whenever it was awkward or if he meets somebody new. Despite his father being horrible at it when he’s not wearing the red and blue spandex suit, Miles was surprisingly good at socializing. Probably why people liked him.

“Hey good morning. How you doing...short weekend huh?” To Miles disappointment he didn’t get a response so he turned to another kid and said, “oh my gosh this is so embarrassing but we’re wearing the same jacket!” The kid gave him a strange look before walking past him clearly unamused. Miles felt discouraged after the failed attempts at making small talk. Maybe he wasn’t as good as he thought.

_ So much for making friends.  _

“Hey!” Miles whipped his head around to see a student was referring to him. Hopeful, he responded with, “Yeah?”

“Your shoe is untied.” 

“Yeah, I’m aware…..It’s a choice.”

Miles felt his shoulders drop before he continued to walk. As his father would say anytime anybody wouldn’t laugh at his jokes ‘ _They all must have sticks up their butts_ ’. 

 

* * *

 

Turns out Vision Academy wasn’t what he thought it was. It was way worse. Classes were rough. He’d found himself constantly being left in the dust. He was last to everything. It was a strange feeling. He wasn’t used to being last. At Brooklyn Middle he was usually the first. Though that may have been because nobody there really cared but still. 

The amount of work given in a day was enough to drive any kid insane! He already had a butload of homework and quizzes to study for! It was insane! However not as insane as breaks in between periods to get to the next class. Everyone was rushing to head to class while he had to run through the halls dodging students while holding his textbooks trying to navigate his way around to find his classroom. For most of his classes he managed to make it on time by a landslide until one. That moment when he barged into class a sweaty mess would probably forever haunt him. His teacher looked extremely unimpressed as she paused the film the class was watching. 

“You’re late.”

The lights flicker on revealing Miles standing in the middle of the classroom. He could feel the heat rush to his cheeks as he tried to play it off cool. “Einstein said time was relative, right? Maybe I’m not late. Maybe you guys are early!” Miles joke was met with an uncomfortable amount of silence. He felt embarrassment rush through his body like waterslide. 

Suddenly there was a small titter from within the crowd of students. Everyone turned to look at the person who laughed. It was a pale female with blond hair and large blue eyes. She had a piercing on her eyebrow and freckles scattered across her face. 

“Sorry. It was just sooo quiet.” Ms. Calleros, the teacher, looked back at Miles before saying, “Would you like to keep standing there or do you want to sit down?”

The lights flickered off. Miles quickly, and slightly awkwardly, made his way to his desk keeping his head low. Once he sat down he tried to pay attention to the rolling tape they were watching while regretting his life. 

“I liked your joke.”

Miles looked at the blonde girl in surprise. “Really?” 

The girl looked back at him saying, “I mean, it wasn’t funny, that’s why I laughed. But it was smart, so I liked it.” The teen was taken back at the sheer honesty. He was intrigued to say the least. He shifted his body so he was turned towards the other student. 

“I don’t think I’ve seen you before--“

“Shhh!” Miles quickly turned his body around, facing the front as his teacher walked past his desk. The teen waits a few moments before glancing back at the blonde teen. She seemed focused on the film so he backed off. However he couldn’t help but feel curious. 

Very curious.

 

* * *

 

_ Day one at Vision Academy officially done. _

 

Miles walked back to his dorm room in defeat. He was completely worn out. All energy drained from his body like an orange. He was practically dragging himself down the hall. He just wished to be in bed to sleep off whatever aching feeling he had. 

_ Probably just a cold. You’ll get over it. _

Miles fished his key out of his backpacks pocket and put it in the door knob, pushing it open. The sight that greeted him on the other side left the teen speechless. 

“Oh my god-“

“Miles?!”

“Ganke?!” Miles dropped his bag in the doorway and walked towards his best friend with his mouth gaping. Ganke had looked so different from what he remembered it was insane. He had normal hair, eyes, glasses, but he noticeably was a bit more slimer. He was dressed in the usual uniform except he wore a beanie, which was strange since when they were younger the other boy hated beanies. However what confirmed that this other teen was his childhood best friend was the fact the room was littered with Spider-Man comics. Ganke had always had a strong love for Spider-Man. When he accidentally discovered that Miles’s dad was the infamous web-slinger and that he too shared his powers his friend was over the moon ecstatic. He had to practically force the other boy to keep it a secret. 

“Dude what are you doing here?! I thought you moved away!” Miles exclaimed. All his stress diminish as soon as he began to talk. “I did! We moved back a year ago!” The two began to do their secret handshake while smiling like a pair of dorks. 

“Man, am I happy to see you!” 

“Same! I was so worried I’d be stuck with some bigot for a roommate!” Finally something was going right in his life. Seeing Ganke was a surprise but it was a surprise he needed or else he’d go insane.

“Man my mom is gonna flip when she finds out my roommate is my old best friend from my childhood!” Miles snorted. “Is your dad-” His friend didn’t even need to finish that question since he already knew what he was gonna ask. By the state of the room he had a pretty good idea. “Yes. My dad is still doing the whole superhero thing,” Miles answered with a knowing smirk. “Are you his sidekick now?!” The teen shook his head. Having a side gig as hero wasn’t something he planned to do ever. He wanted to live the normal life among the people. His dad was probably happy about that. 

“Man if I could do what you can do I’d totally be Spider-Man’s sidekick!”

“I know Ganke. You told me that multiple times when you found out I had powers.” Miles remembered how much his best friend would gush about his powers. It would be non stop talking for hours until either the day was over or until Miles had enough and would force a change of topic. “Miles,” Ganke’s tone turned serious, “ I’m really happy to see you. I mean it. SIdekick or not.” 

Miles snorted and smiled. He playfully pushed his friend while saying, “I know man. I’m not only happy to see you but I’m also happy we’re roommates.” Ganke returned the smile. “However! This isn’t like the last time we shared a room! You don’t get to leave your stuff everywhere! I don’t need to find another lizard while searching through all your junk trying to find my own junk.” 

“Hey! That was one time!”

“No it wasn’t!”

“Fine. It only happened three times!” 

Miles sighed and shook his head. This is gonna be a long school year.

 

* * *

 

Everyone in the dormitory was fast asleep. Nothing could be heard but the faint snores of students as they dreamed. Not a single soul was awake. Miles was fast asleep, his limbs scattered in different directions on the bed, his blanket barely covering him, his sheets a mess. His body began to toss and turn as the teen clutched onto his sheets.

_ “He’s perfect.” Miles was standing alone in a living room. He wasn’t sure how he had gotten there, he didn’t recognize anything. The room was the size of a small classroom, littered with obscure photos and furniture. “He’s gonna be amazing someday honey. I just know it.” Miles turned his head to see man and a woman sitting on the couch holding a child. The woman was smiling down at the baby, her eyes shining with love. He recognized her from his dreams. Only she wasn’t dressed in a pair of scrubs, she was wearing normal civilian clothing. Next to her was a man he didn’t recognize. He’s never seen him in any dreams before. He was a buff man, kinda tall too. He was darker than the woman and wore a grey t-shirt with pajama pants. Judging by what he’s seen, he’d say the two were in a relationship. A couple with a baby.  Miles’s tried to get a look at the baby but it’s face was covered by the blanket. He took a few steps closer trying to get a better looking point. However once he got a look inside he didn’t see a chubby baby face like he’d expect. In its place was a mirror. It was cracked on the edges and dirty but he could make out his own reflection. Before he could say, think, or do anything else he was falling into the dark again.  _

 

Then Miles woke up.


	3. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miles life only seemed to be going downhill from his first day at hell-cough-Visions Academy until he makes a new friend.

Miles was pretty sure the whole world hated him. He wasn’t sure what he could’ve done in his past life to piss off the universe making them hate him but it must’ve been bad. His life  at Vision’s Academy only seemed to go down hill from his first day. He fell more and more behind as days past. Students still treated him like he was invisible. Teachers kept giving more assignments like they were making it rain cash. His body felt like cement, heavy. He hardly get to see Ganke since they had completely different schedules. It was horrible.

However the worst was yet to come. 

Miles’s cold had hit an all time low. He was practically dragging himself from class to class. His hands felt like jelly. His eyes barely could stay open during lectures. Though part of it can be blamed on his late night sessions. He spent most of the night devising a plan to get kicked out of Vision Academy. He was determined to make this plan work. He was gonna try to get kicked out for bad grades since this place was technically for the genius in the world. Bad grades means they’ve got to kick him out! Leaving him with a one way ticket back to Brooklyn Middle.

Making his whole plan easier, the uncomfortable tingle he felt all week had left him itchy and sore. It went all the way to his elbows but burned at his fingertips. It’s a sensation he’s never felt before expect for this week. It felt like fire burning under his skin. It hurt so bad that Miles had trouble picking up things and holding them. It distracted him from everything around him. 

Which is why he was in his teachers office after class. Miles had somewhat intentionally failed his test. During their talk his teacher had asked him “if a person wearing a blindfold picked the answers on a true or false quiz at random, do you know what score they would get?” To which he quickly replied fifty percent. It just had slipped out. He didn’t realize that he was being played by his teacher. “The only way to get all the answers wrong, is to know which answers were right.” Miles watched in disappointment as his teacher changed his zero to a hundred. “You’re trying to quit. And I’m not going to let you. I’m assigning you a personal essay. Not about physics, but about you and what kind of person you want to be.” 

Miles remembered walking back to his dorm defeated after that. He wasn’t watching where he was going when he bumped into somebody. “Woah!” Miles looked up to see none other than the blond kid from class. The one who laughed at his crappy joke. “Sorry,” She muttered before she stepped to the side. Miles didn’t get a chance to say anything since the girl walked away.  _ ‘Weird’ _ He thought as he watched the blonde disappear in crowd. Eventually he walked back to his room, baffled and upset. He opened the door and dropped everything on his bed. He stared at all his belongings, which wasn’t much. 

‘ _ Ganke won’t be back until later’  _ his mind told him right as a mischievous thought came to mind. 

Miles immediately shut the thought down. No. He’s wasn’t gonna sneak out. He was gonna sit down in his chair and then try to devise another plan.

 

_ This is a bad idea. _

 

Miles walked down the sidewalk nervously. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his hoodie. He a body pumping with adrenaline and a mind full of horrible ideas. “Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea,” Miles repeated under his breath as he turned the corner. He wasn’t exactly sure where he was going or where he was. He had mindlessly walked around the town trying to find something to take his mind off the growing pain of his body and life. 

Miles made another turn then stopped in his tracks. His mindless wandering had lead him to his his old school Brooklyn Middle. Okay, maybe he wasn’t completely wandering. Quickly the boy ran across the street towards the courtyard hoping to see at least some of his old friends. However he was quickly disappointed to find it empty. Not a single student in sight. Everyone must’ve gone home. After all Brooklyn Middle did had an earlier release time than Vision’s. Which is probably why it was such a ghost town. 

Disappointed once again, Miles slumped his shoulders and walked away. He didn’t want to go back to Visions. Not yet at least. So he kept walking. It wasn’t long until the sun began to fall and the curfew was growing closer by the second. Despite not wanting to return he began his walk home. Making all the shortcuts he knew just to save time. He didn’t need Visions Academy calling his dad who would then call the whole damn army to find him. 

Miles had turned into an alleyway, trying his best to move fast, when suddenly he felt a sharp stabbing feeling in his hands. He gasped in pain as his hands cramped up. The feeling spread all up through his arms. 

_ Look out. _

“Hey look at what we got right here! Guys come look at this!” A group of adult men walked up from behind him. Miles tried to make a break but was immediately pulled back by his backpack. “Aw come on kid! Don’t leave yet! The party is barely started!” His head began to spin. His legs felt like jelly as the men cornered him into the wall. They loomed over him threateningly making Miles extra nervous. These men were ten times bigger than him meaning they were more than able to handle him. 

“Like your bag kid.” Miles looked around in confusion before suddenly one of the men pulled out a gun and pointed it straight at him. “Give it to me along with your phone and wallet.”  The teens breath was caught in his throat. Never in a million years did he think he’d be stuck in a situation like this. How was he supposed to put run a gang of men who look like WWE wrestlers and a gun without revealing his secret?  

Miles slowly removed his bag before handing it over. He then took out his phone and held it out for the man to take. He tried to ignore the pain in his arm as he did. The man reached out to grab from him with a pleased smirk on his face but once their hands touched the man was suddenly blasted full of electricity. The teen watched as his the man and his stuff fell onto the wet concrete ground. All the other men backed up in surprise as they watch their leader crumple onto the ground yelling in pain.  

Miles looked at his hand which was now sparking bright blue electricity. He stared in complete amazement. All his pain was now replaced with a strange buzzing numbness around his palms. “What the hell?! What’d you do?!” Miles eyes widen as he was suddenly grabbed by the collar of his shirt and slammed into the wall. “You’re gonna regret doing whatever the hell you just did.” Miles eyes screwed shut. He tried to repeat whatever spark thing he did earlier but nothing happened. Realizing it wasn’t gonna happen again the teen feared what would happen next. He did just piss off a bunch of guys with guns. His dad would be proud if his life wasn’t on the line. 

“Hey! Put the kid down!” Suddenly the man holding him up dropped him onto the ground. Miles didn’t see much of what happened next but he heard the sound of his attackers yelling, “Who the hell do you think you are?! What makes you think-” There was a beat of silence before the sound of running footsteps caught his attention. He wasn’t quite sure what made them so terrified that they were running away.

“Hurry up!  _ Run! _ ” Miles watched the men run out the alleyway before somebody held their hand out. He looked up to see a tall black man standing over him. He took the man’s hand and stood up. “You okay? They didn’t hurt you did they?” The man asked.

“No...uh...I think I’m okay…” Other than being completely being in shock he was okay. Miles began to brush himself off and slid back into his shoes. “You know, you gotta be careful around here. Not everyone is as friendly as me.” 

“Thanks for helping me out.” The man brushed him off saying, “No problem man.”

Miles reached for his backpack which was laying on the ground open and all his art supplies scattered around. It must’ve been pulled off when they grabbed him from it. “Aw man…” Miles watched as his loose paper drawings were carried off in the wind. He immediately bent down and tried to grab everything that was on the ground. “I’m sorry about that dude,” the man apologized as he picked up his bag from the puddle it laid in. 

“It’s okay. I wasn’t your fault.” Miles sighed. So much for having a nice night out before walking straight back to hell. He looked at his laptop which laid victim inside to his wet backpack. “My dad is gonna kill me.” 

The man sighed. “Hey look. Maybe it still works! My apartment is right around the corner. We can dry off your stuff there and I’ll see what we can do about your laptop. What you say?” Miles hesitated. It was getting late and curfew was in about an hour give or take. The responsible kid within him wanted to go back and try to beat the clock. However after the long day he had he’d give anything that keep him out of Vision’s walls. Plus he didn’t know why but he trusted this guy. “Alright, but I need to make a text and call first. Can I borrow your phone? Mine is kinda...” Miles held up his cracked screen which covered the whole phone making it impossible to see what was happening on the screen.

“Yeah, here you go,” The man handed him over his phone. “I’ll be over there. Just tell me when you’re ready to go.” 

Miles nodded and waited for the man to leave before quickly sent Ganke a quick text saying he’d be late and that he’ll explain later. He then typed his dad’s number into the phone before hitting call. He listened to the phone ring and stared down at his shoes. The longer the ringing lasted, the more anxious he grew. How does one explain to their dad that they electrocuted a man after they tried to robbing him in a alleyway without being scolded for leaving campus without permission?

_ “Who is this?” _

“Uh...dad it’s me. Miles?”

_ “Miles’s? Who’s phone are you calling from? Why aren't you calling me from your phone? _ ” 

“Mine is kinda broken…” There was a weird shuffling noise coming in from the background of the call and grunting noises. Miles’s looked back at the man who was waiting for him before looking back at the phone in confusion. 

“Dad where are you?”

“ _ I’m- _ ” There was a loud explosion in the background, cutting off his dad’s voice.

_ “Hey! Mind keeping it down! I’m on the phone!” _ The sound of gunshots filled the microphone making Miles’s believe his dad was on another one of his Spider-Man adventures. 

There was a brief pause as the sound of people being kicked around filled the mic.  _ “Sorry about that! What’s up?”  _ Miles’s lowered the phone from his ear. “Uh...It’s nothing. I shouldn’t have called. Sorry to bother you.” 

“Mile-” The teen quickly hung up the phone, not wanting to hear the rest. He walked towards the man who had saved him and handed back the borrowed phone. “Everything go well?’ Miles shrugged. “Well,” the man took the hint and backed off, “my apartment is up there. I have a heater to dry your stuff off with and few things that can help with your laptop.” Miles nodded. He didn’t have high hopes for his laptop. It was probably in the computer heaven in the sky. 

“What’s your name kid?”

“Miles. You?”

“Aaron.” Together the two crossed the street to an apartment complex and walked in. Miles followed the man up the stairs and to his door. “So you go out and walk through shady alleyways for a living or was today special?” 

“Special is one word for it.” Aaron smirked as he opened the door to let them in. “I see. I’ve had a few special days in my life though they never ended with me being robbed in an alleyway. You must be special.” At that Miles let out a small chuckle. “I’ve been told I inherited my dads bad luck,” He muttered, flashing a bittersweet smile.

“Here, hand me your bag and stuff.” Miles handed over his stuff and watched as Aaron took them over the heater and set them down to dry. “Now let’s see what we can do about that laptop.” Aaron walked out into another room for a second and came out with a box of tools. The younger teen followed the older fellow to a table and sat down next to him. 

Miles watched as Aaron opened his laptop and tried to turn it on. They waited a few seconds and when nothing happened he sigh. 

“It’s official. My computer is dead,” Miles announced the bittersad news. “Now hold on. I haven’t even worked my magic yet.” He gave the older man a look of disbelief. “Come on. Don’t lose hope yet. Tell you this, I’m gonna order a pizza then I’m gonna prove you wrong and fix your laptop. Sound good?”

Miles pretend to think about it before smiling. “Yeah. That sounds good.”

 

* * *

 

“Wait. You telling me that you’ve never putting your art up? Not even once?” Miles shook his head as he took bite from his pizza. “Nah man, my dad is a stickler for rules. He’d kill me if he found out I broke the law by graffiting up a wall!” The teen spun around in his swivel chair. Miles himself enjoyed the art of graffiti but his dad doesn’t. Well not graffiti specifically. He just disproved of anything that was against the law. His job literally consist of stopping people who break the law. Like a policeman except not having the correct certifications and stuff but who need that anymore nowadays.

“Man how do you expect people to see your fantastic art if you never show it to anybody?” Miles didn’t know what to say so he shrugged. He never thought about it truthfully. 

“Well if you ever want to piece together something, I know the best places and I promise you your dad ain’t ever gonna find out.” 

“Really?”

“Hell yeah! You can always find me here anytime before six or if you feeling like a grown man you can meet me  _ here _ any time after seven.” Aaron handed him a business card.

“Starlite Lounge?”

“Just ask the front waitress for ‘Aaron Davis’ when you go in. They’ll know what to do.” 

Miles nodded and quickly saved the card in his pocket. He felt joy flood his body. He liked Aaron. He was a cool dude and always had something interesting to say. He was excited that his newfound buddie wanted to see him again. They had a lot in common as well! It was so refreshing to have somebody who he could relate to and talk to about normal stuff. Plus he was so laid back and chill. Down to earth type of guy. Also he was funny. Like really funny.

“Alright let’s see if this bad boy works,” Aaron muttered as he set down the laptop in front of him, “cross your fingers.” Miles crossed both of them. He need all the good luck in the world to pull this off. 

The two boys watched the screen in anticipation as Aaron pressed the on button. A few seconds past of no activity before magically the screen turned on. They both jumped up in joy and exclaimed, “YES!” They high fived each other. 

“I can’t believe you actually fixed it! You’re like a wizard!”

“I work with a lot of computers in my job, picked up a few tricks.” Miles didn’t miss the grimince on the man’s face at the mention of his job however he didn’t think much of it. Maybe he just hated his job? Or his boss was a total tool. Anyways Miles didn’t get much time to dwell on it anyways, he glanced at the clock before looking out the window. His eyes widen and mouth dropped open at the sight of the dark night sky. He hadn’t even noticed how late he stayed out until now.

“Oh no! I’ve got to go!” Miles quickly closed his laptop and scooped it up. “You gonna be okay walking back this late?” The teenager nodded as he rushed to stuff all his stuff into his dry bag. “Thank you for helping me. I’m sorry I can’t pay-“

“Don’t stress. We cool Miles.” Miles smiled.  _ They were cool _ . Okay he totally wasn’t gonna let that get to his head. “I’ll see you around,” Aaron took his left hand and pulled him into a side hug then pat his back. It was a strange gesture but Miles didn’t seem to care. He was too focus on other things. 

“Bye!” With that Miles was out the door with a huge smile plastered onto his face as he left. 

He left Aaron’s apartment feeling for the first time in a while like he was on top of the world.

 

* * *

 

That night when Miles crawled into bed he fell asleep and dreamed again. 

 

_ Miles didn’t know why but he was standing in the middle of a sidewalk in the cold. It was raining. He could hardly make out what was happening. Before him a small raggedy dirty blue blanket laid on the ground. It was too small to be a normal sized humans blanket, plus it kinda looked familiar to him. Not making a single movement despite there being pouring rain and high winds that would surely have made it moved somehow. However that didn’t seem to be the case now. It just laid there, staring straight at him soaked wet and covered with dirt. He tried to move, walk away but he couldn’t. He was just stuck. Not a single part of could move or speak.  _

_ Then the blanket before him faded leaving him in a dark office room. He was standing in some of room and before him two figures stood. He felt exposed as he stood completely still behind the two taller figures. One was a tall, purple, wearing a purple and black suit however he didn’t get as good of a look as he did with the other figure. This figure he could make out the shape of a woman and part of her face. She was pale, thin faced, and wore some sort of green tinted goggles over her eyes making it nearly impossible to see her actual eyes. Her hair was frizzy and tied up in a large messy bun that resembled a beehive almost. Or the remains of one. The woman looked like she’s been dragged all through downtown by a speeding bus. He could tell she was extremely upset. They both were standing by a desk, that had a computer facing towards him. He could lightly make out the word ‘Alchemix’ floating on the off screen. The woman’s posture completely tense, her hands shaking as she gripped onto the desk in front of her.  _

_ “How could this have happened?!” The woman got no response. “Did you know that they were planning this?!” The figure paused for a few seconds before they shook their head.  _

_ In a fit of anger, the woman threw all the stuff on top of the desk off before turning around to face the silent purple figure. She was face to face the figure before she yelled: _

_ “Tear down all of New York if you have to! Find them and bring them back to me!”  _

_ There was heavy beat of silence. Hesitation. The purple figure, whose back was toward him, said, “I’m on it. They couldn’t have gone far. I will bring them back.”  _

_ “Don’t fail me Prowler.” There was a beat of cold silence as the woman and the office grew darker. Miles tried to back up, ready to leave this place feeling like he shouldn’t be there. He was stuck again. His body refused to cooperate with his brain leaving him paralyzed. If he was stuck in place, he’d probably be shaking. However the fact he was stuck didn’t stop his stomach from doing summersaults. He could feel his pulse pounding on his temples.  _

_ It felt like a scene in a horror movie as the figure, Prowler, suddenly turned around and was looking straight at Miles. The glare the figure gave him burned through him and into his soul. The two just looked straight at each other before the larger threatening figure charged towards Miles. Before the teen could scream a darkness consumed him leaving behind a faint shadow of the Prowlers glowing white eyes. _

 


	4. Sparks

Miles spent the whole next day looking over his shoulder. After the whole staying out past curfew and electrocuting a man he knew it was only a matter of time before the school found out or worse. His dreams weren’t helping either. They usually left him waking up in cold sweats and feeling exhausted.

“Dude I can’t you got away with it! I for sure thought the security guard would’ve caught you! That guy knows everything that happens in this school! It’s crazy!” Ganke told him after they met up after school on their way to their dorm. After spending the whole day paranoid, nothing came up from any of the staff about his breaking curfew.  

“Shh! Keep it down before somebody hears you!” Miles forced his nerves to calm down, letting his rising stress go. “Sorry,” Ganke apologized, lowering his voice. 

“Look just don’t say anything to anybody. It’s possible they didn’t realize. Just keep quiet,” Miles told his friend. The teen wasn’t completely convinced that this was the case but he didn’t have to worry about that until tomorrow. “Alright fine I will.”

“Thanks. Look I’m heading to the store, want anything?” Ganke shook his head. The two boys quickly bid each other goodbye before going their separate ways. 

Miles kept his word and stopped by a convenience store to buy himself a little snack. He was hungry and school food wasn’t exactly edible. He look through all their treats and eventually picked out a bag of hot Cheetos. He walked up to the front to pay and waited as the cashier ringed him up.

“ _...Breaking News! Last night an incident involving a power plant explosion knocked out almost half of New York’s power leaving us in the dark for nearly four hours. The cause of this explosion is still unknown and the owners of the property, Alchemax, refuse to comment.… _ ”

“Crazy huh?”

Miles looked at the cashier before glancing at the tv. “Uh..yeah.  _ Insane _ .” Truth be told, he hadn’t even realized any of this went down. He was probably fast asleep by the time this happened. Also having a dad who fights crime for a living and sees weird stuff everyday kinda numbed him to weird stuff that happens around here. 

Though it was strange that the company name Alchemax seemed so familiar to the younger student. 

“Welp that’ll be two fifty.” Miles snapped himself out of his thoughts, handed over the change, took his snack from the counter then left. “Thanks for coming. Do come again.” The teen waved as he walked out the door. Ready to make his way back to campus, Miles took two steps when he noticed a familiar face hanging out across the street from him. It was the blonde girl from class!

Miles face lit up, this was his chance to speak to her! Maybe he’ll get her name this time. The teen made sure to look both ways across the street making sure the coast was clear of speeding vehicles before jogging across. Once he was across he watched the other teen stare down at her feet. She was sitting on some pair of concrete steps looking serious and slightly bored. 

_ ‘Come on Miles. You can do this.’ _

Slowly the teen took a step forward. The girl didn’t seem to notice him yet so he took a few more steps forward. He was so close to talking to the strange girl when suddenly she stood up from her seat. She walked towards the curb where a black car pulled up with tinted windows. 

Disappointed, Miles watched as the car pulled away and drove off to the unknown. Maybe next time he’ll have more luck he told himself. 

 

* * *

 

Miles walked through the front door of his dorm to find Ganke past out on his bed with a comic book over his face. It wasn’t a surprising sight to say the least.

The teen changed into a comfortable pair of clothes before opening the mini fridge they had to grab a drink. He opened the fridge and pulled out the apple juice. He opened it, taking a sip of the sweet drink before shutting the fridge. He took the drink into his his desk where he had his paper with all his markers waking for him. He sat down, setting down his juice, and opened his drawing book.

Miles began to freelance, drawing whatever he could think of. 

It wasn’t long until he grew distracted. He thought about the incident yesterday with the men that tried to rob him. More specifically the part where he electrocuted a guy. Never before has he had this ability so why now? Did his dad know that he could do this? Was he gonna electrocute people for now on? Was that gonna be his thing? 

Miles shook his head and looked down at his hands. He tried to make what happened then happen now. 

_ Focus _ .

Miles shut his eyes and tried to focus. He tried to remember the feeling he felt when he had shocked that man and tried to recreate it. He counted down to three before his eyes flew open. 

A few small sparks flew off his hands before nothing. Nothing else happened. Miles sighed and dropped his hands. Maybe it was a one time deal. A freak accident. 

Maybe. Just maybe he had imagined it and somebody else shocked the man. Somebody he didn’t see. Miles convinced himself it was nothing and continued to work on his art. 

 

However once the teen’s eyes looked away, he missed the small bright blue sparks flying off his hand.

 

* * *

__

 

That night Miles laid awake, staring at the ceiling afraid to shut his eyes. His dreams were becoming more and more consistent leaving him in a pool of sweat when he wakes up. They were vivid and felt like he was always actually there living through them. Sometimes they hadn’t felt like dreams which is completely insane because they were just dreams!  

_ If they are just dreams then why are you lying awake, afraid? _

The thought echoed through his head. He tried to come up with an answer but couldn’t seem to find the right one. He couldn’t explain away the strange dreams like he did with the whole sparks flying off his hands phenomenon. It tied his stomach to knots, leaving him with this gut wrenching feeling. 

_ What is happening to me?  _ He asked himself. 

Miles took a shaky breath, tension filling all his limbs. He couldn’t control the rapid pacing of his heart and breathing. The room suddenly felt like it was closing in on him, growing smaller by the second. The teen couldn’t control his racing thoughts. In nearly seconds Miles curled up in a tight ball on his bed, shaking. He wasn’t sure when he started to calm down but when he did he thought, ‘ _ I can’t be here. _ ’ 

After having the thought run through his mind on repeat like a broken record Miles pushed himself off the bed. He didn’t have much time to think about where he was going but he threw his shoes on and jacket. However when he yanked his jacket off the chair he noticed something small fall out of his pocket. It was a piece of paper. 

Miles picked the small piece of square paper off the ground and looked at the bold text on it. ‘ _ Starlight Lounge _ ’. It all came rushing back to him, it was the card Aaron gave to him. He looked at the address, instantly recognizing the street. It wasn’t too far. Making a decision, he grabbed his phone and shoved it into his pocket. He didn’t think twice before crawling out his open window. All he could think about was where he was going. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short calm chapter.   
> I’m posting every other day now.
> 
> Thanks for reading!! :D


	5. Just Gotta Let Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miles meets up with Aaron and the two have some quality bonding time.

Miles looked up at the sign before looking back down at the card in his hand. ‘ _ Starlite Lounge _ ’ the names were the same. This place had to be it. The teen pushed through the front doors. Once in, Miles was blinded by the bright neon lights the filled the place. The loud blaring music was so loud that he heard ringing in his ears. The place was full with random people not adding in the waitress who was in the back of the counter. 

Slowly Miles approached the waitress who watched him like hawk. “Whatcha want kid? Ain’t it past your bedtime?” 

“I’m here for Aaron Davis,” Miles stated, trying his best to filter out the nervousness in his voice. There was a pause as the waitress stared into the teenager with her scorching eyes before walking off saying, “follow me.” 

Miles tried to quickly follow the woman down the counter, pushing through tipsy adults. They passed by man who was flat out passed out on the counter with a bottle in hand. The man didn’t look to be moving or breathing.

“Hey um...is he okay? He looks dead..”

“Sure. He’s just napping.” 

The waitress kept walking and the teen rushed to catch up. She led them through the large curtains in what looked like to be in the end of the room. It led him into a much nicer and fancier looking part of the lounge with red tables and chairs, a large glass chandelier, and candles. It was a fascinating and weird sight. People dressed in suits and other fancier clothing sat talking about anything from business to other adult things. Their chatter was loud enough to make the music seem weak. The waitress led him to the back table where Aaron sat drinking something while looking down on his phone. He was the only one dressed in casual clothing. 

“Davis. You’ve got somebody here looking for you.” The waitress nodded towards Miles. 

Aaron only smiles before nodding. The waitress walked away leaving the two alone clearly not interested in anything more about the situation. Aaron turned to the thirteen year old.

“Miles! Just on time! I was about to head out! Take a seat!” Miles took a seat in the booth across from the other male. Before he could apologize, Aaron was already talking.

“What brings you here at…,” Aaron checked his phone, “almost two in the morning?”

Miles felt his face heat up. To say he had came here without thinking things through was an understatement. He didn’t even check the time the whole time walking here, assuming the adult would still be here. 

“Couldn’t sleep,” He told him. “Night owl I see. Guess we also go that in common too.” Miles gave Aaron a strained smile. “You know what helps?” The teen looked up, interested in what the other party had to say. “C’mon. I’ll show you.”

 

* * *

 

“So, what’s up with school? Last I saw you, you were worried about getting in trouble for breaking curfew!” Miles ran to catch up to the older man as they turned the corner. He sighed. “It’s going great. Got lots of friends.” He didn’t bother to cover the sarcasm in his voice. He didn’t find the need too. “You can't tell me it’s all that bad there,” Miles kept a straight face, “smart girls is where it’s at. Place must be full of 'em!” The teen took a moment think and process what the man was asking. “No, there’s no one.” He looked off to the side avoiding eye contact.

Aaron scoffed. “Damn. I can’t have a friend on the streets with no game!” 

Miles immediately straightened up his posture and looked at the older male. “I got game!” He tried to play it off cool. However the older male could clearly see he was putting up a front. “There was a new girl, actually, she's kinda into me. You know how it is!” 

Miles shoved his hands into his pockets as he remembered the blonde girl from his physics class. “What’s her name?” 

The teen opened his mouth to answer but quickly shut it. He stuttered nonsense until he finally said, “--You know we... this is... we’re laying down the groundwork right now.” 

“You know about the shoulder touch?”

“Of course I do!” Miles looked away, pretending to be offended, before glancing at Aaron with a curious look. “But uhhh tell me anyways.”

Suddenly the man stopped walking turned to Miles before bending down to his level. “Tomorrow find that girl, walk up to her and be like…” Aaron grabbed Miles shoulder, pretending to look off before looking straight into the teenagers eyes and in a smooth deeper tone saying, “ _ hey _ .”

Miles bursted out laughing. No way could this have been real. “You serious?” The very thought of doing it was enough to send the teen into a laughing fit. 

“I’m telling you man, it’s science!”

Miles tried to catch his breath and looked up at Aaron. “So walk up to her and be like,” Miles tried to copy his friend, “hey.”

“No no no no like... _ hey _ .”

“Hey.”

“No.  _ Heyyy _ .”

“Heyyyy,” Miles mocked. Aaron cackled at the horrible impression. The teen grinned. The two continued walking until they reached the subway entrance. Together they walked down. Miles followed the older more experienced man down into the subway tunnel. He followed him down the dark tunnel, staying close incase of anything. They walked for a few minutes before turning into a secret abandoned looking tunnel. Warning signs and stay out signs littered the tunnel. ‘ _ Alchemax Private Property _ . STAY OUT’. He looked around before turning to Aaron who clearly wasn’t phased by the warnings. Next thing he new the man jumped over the fence, climbing it like some sort of spider monkey. His jaw dropped open as his friend landed on the other side.

Aaron gave him a patient look as he waited for him to do the same.

‘ _ You shouldn’t do this. The sign says stay out. _ ’ Miles thought as he looked back at the signs. He bit his lower lip. ‘ _ First you sneak out of the house and now you’re gonna break the law? _ ’ The teen was about to back out when he heard Aaron say, “C’mon kid. You can do it. Ain’t that bad, you’ll get use to it. Though you’ll never be as good as the master.”

Miles looked at his friend and glared. He could very well do this with no problem!  _ I’ll show him who’s the master. _  For a split second, Miles was able to let go of all the great responsibility on his shoulders and let all of his worries go. He jumped, climbing over the fence as quickly as he possibly could. One he reached the top he jumped down sicking the infamous Spider-Man landing. 

Which he had totally meant to do.

That totally wasn’t on accident.

Silence filled the subway. For a moment the teen wondered if he had done something wrong. Maybe he shouldn’t have showed off like that. He was thirteen, thirteen year olds don’t magically gain the skill the jump over metal gates! Did Aaron think he was a freak now? Was he gonna ditch him and call the cops who will in turn call the fbi who’ll take him away and experiment on him? His heart began to race as the silence continued, only making him worry more. 

“Damn…,” Miles looked at back at the adult nervously, “looks like the kid actually does got some game.” The teenager let out a relieved sigh. The worry drained out of his body like a waterfall. He stood up with the cheekest smile on his face. 

“Told you!” The teen announced proudly. It was stupid but Miles couldn’t help but feel ecstatic at the fact Aaron was impressed by him. He wasn’t sure why he was so out to please the older individual. Maybe it was because to him Aaron was the cool guy and he just wanted to show him he was cool too. Together the two boys walked into a large space that had spiderwebs as big as cotton candy spread all throughout the space. However that wasn’t what made the teen’s mouth drop. 

“Woah.” 

The room was filled with street art from dozens of different artists, all beautiful and unique in their own way. He admire the different uses of colors and shapes morphed into other artists art. “BROOKLYN!” The teen called out, listening to his voice bouncing off the walls, echoing back to him. 

“There’s a lot of history on these walls.”

“This is so fresh!” Aaron gestured towards a wall where a clean blank space lied calling out to him. It was clear to the teen that the wall had recently been wiped down just for him. The older man smiled, leaned down, reached into his bag then proceed to reveal a bunch of spray paint cans tucked inside. He then pulls out a can, tossing it to Miles, before pulling out his own stereo. 

Miles grinned as excitement over took his whole body. Once the music began to play Aaron began to show him the ropes. Teaching him everything he needed to know all while letting him create his own vision on the wall. 

“Now you’re on your own,” Aaron told him after imparting him with all his wisdom and helping him start out. From there Miles was letting his imagination run wild all while turning all his stress and worry in something beautiful. It was like nothing else mattered as his hands glided across the wall just like the other man showed him. All he could focus on was the task at hand while at the same time listening to Aaron’s tips and advice. When he was done, he turned to the other man, holding up a can of white spray paint. He stood in front of his piece letting the older individual trace him. 

“Wow.” Miles turned around to look at his masterpiece. Colors exploded on the wall, built

around Miles silhouette with nothing painted inside it. Blank inside. “No Expectations” was written above. 

“Is it really that bad?”

“No man,” Aaron shook his head, “Miles I see exactly what you’re doing here, man.” Miles smiled. It felt good to be seen. To finally be acknowledged by his work. Emotionally and physically.  

“Yeah...you know you kinda remind me of my brother. We used to do stuff like this back in the day.”

“Really?”

“Yup.”

“What happened?” There was pregnant pause. For a split second the teen could see the grief in Aaron’s eyes. He’s seen it in his father’s eyes and he could see it in his friends right now. It was subtle yet stuck out to him like a sore thumb. “We uh…” Aaron exhaled. “We kinda drifted apart when he took on being a cop.” Miles eyes fell as he listened to the older man speak. He could hear the sorrow weighing down on his voice. “He’s uh,” Aaron cleared his voice, “he’s gone now...crazy house fire.” 

The thought of losing a sibling was something he could never imagine. He was a single child and never had a sibling to get close to. However he was not a stranger to death. When his Aunt passed away he lost more than just a important family member. He lost a part of his father as well. Though to be fair he lost him a long time ago after his Aunt MJ left. 

“I’m sorry.” Miles wanted to hit himself. ‘ _ I’m sorry _ ’ was that all he had to say? This man lost somebody clearly very dear to him and all he had to say was  _ sorry _ ? 

“It’s okay. It’s in the past,” Aaron told him. However the teen could tell the older man didn’t completely mean it. Though Miles decided not to press on it. It wasn’t his place. 

Suddenly Aaron’s phone begins to vibrate. The teen looked over to see the older man check his phone. Right before his eyes he watched as the once open sorrowful face turned stoic as a shadow fell upon him.

“Alright man, I’ve got to go.” The teen didn’t get a chance to ask about it before Aaron walked out leaving the teen alone. Disheartened that their adventure was over, he looked over at the art they created. He pulled out his phone, taking a photo of the finished product. 

“Miles lets go!”

Not wanting to delay the departure any further, Miles ran to catch up with the man.

 

* * *

 

When Miles arrived at home the sun was gonna start rising soon. He checked the area before he climbed up from the side of the building towards the window. When he came across his it was slightly cracked open just like he had left it. Climbing back inside through it as quietly as he possibly could. Once inside he slowly closed the window before tiptoeing towards his bed. 

Miles slipped off his shoes and jacket. He could feel his eyes grow heavy as he approached his bed. The thought of going to sleep sounded so appealing to his sluggish mind yet so terrifying. 

 

However once his body hit his soft bed Miles was out like a light. 

  
  



	6. To The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘One day you will,  
> Wake up and see,  
> There’s a lot inside,  
> Shinning right through me,  
> Sometimes we all just have to be,  
> To be like a steady ship,  
> Across the raging sea’
> 
> Miles finally meets the new girl but not everything is as it seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains violence, fighting with a child (no harm done to child), if sensitive do not read!!

_ “Stand up!”  _

 

_ Dirty walls, dark lights, metal ground. The center was a circular ring the size of a small classroom. All things Miles saw inside the large worn down looking room.  _

_ “Prepare yourselves!”  _

_ Miles looked up towards the center ring. A little girl stood in the center, dressed in a strange white suit. From what he could see the girl looked around the ripe age of seven maybe eight. She had short blonde hair and fair skin. The girl stepped back, getting into a defensive position as a man stepped onto the platform. The man was huge, clearly worked out, and was way bigger than the child.  _

_ “Fight!”  _

_ Miles flinched when the man charged full speed towards the underaged girl. Though to his surprise, the girl dodged the first blow, jumping away.  _

**_“When it comes to fighting there is no honor, no code. All that matters is the mission.”_ **

_ The girl grabbed the man’s swinging fist causing him to cry out in pain, twisting it before swinging her foot up and using it to knock the man down.  _

**_“Show no mercy. Never hesitate. Be swift and clean. Never leave a trace.”_ ** _ The girl jumped over the man raising her fist. She began throwing punch after punch, each time letting out a deep growl like an animal. When the girl finally stopped she was breathing heavily, her shoulders dropped as she stood over her unconscious opponent.  _

_ Miles felt sick to his stomach watching. It was a horrible sight to see. Especially with a child evolved.  _

_ “Very well Agent 65.”  _

_ Before his very eyes, the once small child was replaced with a now grown wearing a full body suit. Black and white, with some pink around the arms. The worn down room changed, looking more futuristic than before. Now with more lights, a metal interior, and glowing ring in the center.  _

_ “You’re dismissed. You may return to the others until evening training.” _

_ The girl turned her head around, revealing a mask under her hoodie. A mask with the signature Spider-Man style eyes. Though hers was thin and a pink outline instead of the black one like his father’s. The sight left his stomach in knots.  _

**_“Perfect soldier. Built for combat. With tactical responses more acute than any soldier! Equipped with a wall crawling ability, a sixth sense alerting to danger, enhanced strength, speed, agility, healing, and durability!”_ **

_ Miles was in a office now. The girl he had seen just seconds before was gone. He was alone, sat at a desk in front of file. Everything around him didn’t matter, not even the room he was in or the fact he didn’t remember sitting down. His brain was focused on the file before him. _

_ ‘PROJECT SPIDER’ was printed on the top.  _

_ Curiosity drew the teen towards it.  _

_ He slowly lifted his hand towards it, resting it on the folder before trying to open it. However before he could see the hidden remains inside, the folder spontaneously combust into flames under his touch.  _

_ Miles jumped back in the chair, tipping it over and fell. However instead of being greeted by the hard cold ground, everything went black. _

 

* * *

__

 

Miles spent most his class days daydreaming. While drifting, his mind would constantly replay the voice in his dream and flash images he remembered from his dream. Specifically the dream girl he saw with blonde hair. 

‘ _ Perfect soldier. _ ’ 

Miles couldn’t understand why his dreams were becoming more vivid and why they felt like so much more than what they were. All of it felt bigger than just dreams, they felt real. Like there was a message his mind was trying to send him. 

Was he going crazy?

“Mister Parker daydreaming again are we?” 

Miles felt his face go red, heating up as students turned their head around to look a him and giggle. “Need I remind you that you are attending Visions Academy not some  _ public school  _ and that we do not tolerate daydreaming here.” Miles sunk down in his chair, keeping his head down as the teacher continued on with whatever lecture they were giving. “As I was saying class,” a few stifled giggles could be heard in the background, “the spider teaches us to maintain a balance between past and future, physical and spiritual, male and female. It teaches you that everything you now do is weaving what you will encounter in the future.” 

Miles glanced at the printed out text in front of him, curious. “ _ The wisdom of truth is the foundation of our talk _ ,” She read aloud from the paper in her hands, “ _ Into our dreams, she awakens ancient memory. Out onto the web, now send your thoughts and energy. And create the future, Fifth World of harmony. As Grandmother Spider weaves on into eternity _ .” Miles found himself listening to his English teacher speak for the first time in a while. All throughout class he found himself paying attention, soaking in everything that was said about the strange poem. At the end of class he wordlessly took the print out copy of the lesson with him, shoving it into his bag before leaving. 

Miles walked through the hall towards his locker, keeping his face down as he passed dozens of students. He was far too occupied thinking over the lecture his teacher gave to notice a pair of ocean blue eyes stalking him from within the crowd. He turned the corner of the hall towards his next class when he suddenly was jolted from his thoughts when he came crashing into another person. Dazed, Miles looked up to see who was the unlucky person that crashed into him to see the blonde girl from class. His eyes widen and jaw dropped open.

“Oh! Are you okay?” In that very moment, Miles felt his brain freeze before blurting out, “What?” The girl looked him up and down, taking in his rough appearance. “Why are you sweating so much?” Miles hadn’t realized how much he was sweating. He was nervous but couldn’t say that. He had to lie. 

“It's a puberty thing!” Miles spat out the first thing on his mind. Upon realising what he said his cheeks caught aflame turning cherry red. “I-I don't know why I said that,” He babbled on, “I-I’m not going through puberty. I did. But I’m done…. **I’m a man.** ” He looked around nervously, mentally kicking himself for being so nervous and embarrassing himself. 

_ Play it cool. _

“So you're, like, new here, right? We got that in common,” Miles pointed out, abruptly trying to change the situation.

“Yeah, that’s one thing.”

“Cool, yeah! I’m Miles.” 

“I'm G- _ Waaaanda _ .” 

“Wait, your name is Gwanda?” Miles asked in disbelief. “Yes, it’s African!” The girls face scrunched up as if she didn’t believe it herself. “I'm South African. No accent though, cause I was raised here.” Gwanda continued to ramble while Miles just watched her, barley listening. All he could think of what Aaron had taught him the other day.

‘ _ Do the shoulder touch now! Before she walks away!’  _

Everything felt like was happening in slow motion  as he raised his hand. Why was this thing so scary? If he was in a movie now this would all probably be happening in slow motion. 

“I’m kidding. It’s Wanda! No G…”

“ _ Hey _ .” Miles hand landed on Wanda’s (?) shoulder and he flashed her the best ‘cool’ looking smirk he could muster up along with deepening his voice to sound cool. 

“Um….” Wanda didn’t seemed impressed by his attempt at being charming. It in fact had the opposite effect than what he was hoping for. “What are you doing?” Miles was mortified about the events that transpired. Mostly at himself. He quickly retreated his hand, ducking his head in embarrassment, which seemed to be an ongoing thing for him. 

“I-I um...I just-“ Wanda just watched as Miles babbled nonsense, trying to make up on excuse for his actions. That was when the bell rang, signaling next period. 

“Ok then. I’ll see you around.”

“Oh-uh y-yeah see you…” Miles watched as his classmate walked past him off to their next class. He slapped his forehead and groaned once he was sure she couldn’t see him anymore. 

That was probably the most embarrassing moments in his life, which was saying something. 

Miles dragged himself to his next class, praying that nothing else would happen today.

 

Of course nothing ever goes his way.

 

Right as Miles walked into his dorm that afternoon his roommate decided it would be a great idea to blast his music on full volume right as he stepped foot inside.

_ “Can't stop now, I've traveled so far, to change this lonely life-“ _

**_“I WANNA KNOW WHAT LOVE IS! I WANT YOU TO SHOW ME-“_ ** Ganke sang, his voice horribly off pitch and loud. People passing through the halls glanced over with a strange look on their face.

Horrified, Miles slammed the door and quickly jumped over to turn down the music. 

“What! Come on man! This is my jam!” He grabbed the speaker, taking it away. “I thought you’d like it! Especially after what I saw with you an-“

“Not a word.” Ganke had a cheeky smile drawn on his lips as Miles dropped his bag on his bed. “Come on! It wasn’t that bad!” The other teen gave him the death glare.

“Okay it was bad but I’ll give you credit for trying!” Ganke spun around in his chair and faced Miles who sat down on his bed with his face in his hands. “You know just because you failed this time doesn’t mean you will again,” The teen told him. 

“No way man. She’s obviously not into me especially after all that!”

“Who knows! Maybe she likes that!” Miles highly doubt it. Wanda was a nice person and he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable with his advances. She clearly wasn’t into it. So he took that as his sign to back down for now. 

Suddenly a knock on their door caught both the attention of the sitting teenagers. They both exchanged glances, clearly neither expecting anybody. It was Ganke who stood up to open the door. 

To both the boys shock, Wanda stood on the other side. 

“Wanda!” Miles laughed nervously as he shot up from the bed and walked up to the door. “W-What are you doing here?” She glanced in between the two boys before asking, “Am I interrupting something?”

“No! Not at all!” Ganke answered for him, flashing Wanda a toothy grin. 

“C-Can I help you with anything?”

“I just wanted to see Miles, if you’re not busy doing work and stuff, if you’d like to hang out or something?” Miles felt his mouth go dry as he glanced at Ganke, who nodded him on. 

“Yeah! Sure! We can totally hang out!” Wanda smiled and nodded. 

Miles followed the blonde out the room before looking at Ganke who held up two thumbs up. He took a deep breath before shutting the door behind him. 

 

* * *

 

“So...what brings you to Visions?” Miles asked, breaking the silence between the two. 

They both were sat outside of the school, on the front steps. Neither had really said word since leaving the boys dorm room. Wanda seemed a bit distant, as if her brain was elsewhere while her body sat. Her hand hiding in her pocket. 

“Oh,” Wanda blinked, “um…it's complicated.” Miles nodded. “I understand. You don’t have to talk about it. I was just curious.” Wanda glanced at him with an odd look in her eye. Her body was tense. She looked as if she was struggling to understand something but kept to herself. 

“So like it here?”

“Truthfully?” Wanda exhaled. “Yes. I love learning and the teachers are kind. Nothing like the other places I’ve been. It’s different.” His classmate looked like she confessed to some horrendous crime by just saying that. “You’d like my old school,” Miles told her, “everyone is like one big  _ familia _ . Siempre juntos y con la espalda del otro.” Wanda stared at him for a few seconds before he realized he had spoken in Spanish. “We were always and each other’s back,” Miles translated. She nodded absently. The mention of family seemed to trigger some sort of response. Wanda’s face had fell. He couldn’t read her expression since the young teen seemed to be surprisingly good at masking her emotions. 

“Do you love them?” The question was innocent and simple. Though that didn’t seem to be the case for Wanda. “Yeah. They’re like my family in a weird way. They’d have my back and I have there’s.” 

“Do you miss it there?” 

“Yeah I do. A lot actually.” Miles didn’t see any reason to lie. Like with Aaron, he trusted Wanda. She was clearly a good person. He could see it in her and he trusts his judgement on people. “Why don’t you just go back then?” Wanda asked, confused. 

“My dad..” Miles shoved his hands in his pocket. “He won’t let me. He’s convinced that this place is the best thing for me and that’ll help me go places.”

“You don’t think that?” 

Miles stared at the cars driving by unable to make eye contact. “I know my dad just wants the best for me.” 

“You seem to love him very much,” Wanda muttered. At that Miles could nod. “He’s a great dad. He raised me and cared for me. He always loved me even during his consent struggle with his own inner battles.” It was poetic in a way. A man struggling with himself still manages to single handedly raise a kid. 

“Having a father sounds amazing.” Miles looked at Wanda, her face scrunched up and strained.

“I’m sorry-“

“It’s alright. I didn't know my father or mother. So can’t be sad about something you’ve never had.” 

“That’s not true. I didn’t know my mother either and sometimes that makes me sad,” Miles told his classmate. “I only know she was a wonderful strong woman. My dad told me she was brave and loving. It makes me sad that I’ll never get to know that woman.” Miles laid his hand on Wanda’s shoulder showing her his support. “So it’s okay for you to be sad over something you’ve never had,” He stated. 

Wanda stared at him, wide eyed. Her bright blue orbs filled with astonishment and shock. As if this was the first time somebody had told her that it was okay to mourn the loss of a parent. 

“Why are you being so nice?” All tension throughout the young female body was gone. 

“Why should I need a reason to be nice?” Miles replied back, letting the question hang in the air. Wanda exhales, sliding her hand her pocket slowly. She glanced at the street and the cars parked before turning towards Miles. 

“I have to go.” 

“Um ok-“ Wanda shot up from her seat on the steps and ran back up to the door. She pushed the door open, pausing to turn to look at Miles. “Thank you Miles for hanging out with me,” She said. Then she went inside, not waiting for his response. 

Happy the with how things went, he looked out at the passing cars and smiled. 

 

* * *

 

When Gwen retreated inside, she didn’t stop until she was inside her dorm. She ignored her roommate’s confused glance as she ran into the bathroom, shutting it behind her and locking it. She looked at herself in the mirror before slamming her fists on the sink.

How could she let herself be caught off guard like that? Why couldn’t she proceed with what was planned? Why was she thrown off by the strange kindness the boy had shown, the openness he had. The way he spoke about family and love had made her hesitate. 

She knew why.

She envy it.

_ She envy him. _

Looking down at her pocket, she pulled out a small disk the size of a peppermint candy. She had failed her mission. In frustration she threw device in the sink.

_ Knock knock. _

“Uhh you okay in there?” 

“I’m fine,” Gwen lied as she scrambled to get the device from the sink. She stuffed it into her pocket before turning around to open the door flashing a smile to her roommate who looked concerned. 

“Okay…”

Gwen walked past her roomate, leaving behind a confused classmate in her wake.


	7. Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miles loses control and realizes a horrible truth about his powers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARING: shit load of sadness coming so be prepared, and talk about strained father son relationships. If triggered by that I don’t suggest reading the ending-

Friday rolled around and Miles was eager to head home after completing a full week at Vision’s. He had rushed to his dorm, packed his things, and practically ran out of the place. He joined Ganke during the walk home since their houses were conveniently near each other. 

During the walk, he’d slap the stickers on mailboxes, street signs, and even newspaper boxes when they came across them. After that night with Aaron, Miles’s found himself enjoying posting his art and letting the world see. It made him happy. 

The two boys headed into the subway together, rushing to catch their ride. Once they were on the tram they sat down on two open seats. 

“Will your mom even remember me?” Miles asked. Ganke seemed to think for a moment, looking him over from head to toe, before saying, “totally. You still look like the short scrawny kid she’d remember!” Miles punched his shoulder, letting a laugh escape his lips. 

“I take it back! Jesus,” Ganke rubbed his now throbbing shoulder, ”I forgot you can pack a mean punch.” 

Smirking, Miles sat back in his chair and crossing his arms. He took the compliment with pride.  _ Not so scrawny _ now was what he wanted to say but didn’t. 

“Dude remember that time you wiped the floor with that whole gang of kids after they tried to steal our stuff?” He did remember that.  It was in the second grade and a group of kids had began to pick on Ganke while Miles was in the bathroom. When he returned, the group began to pick on them both demanding they both hand over their bags which had their lunch and money they were given so they could go hang out in the arcade after school. Miles, being the stubborn child he was, had declined. At the time, the reality of his powers had yet to sink in. He was still young and didn’t realize his powers could cause actual harm. So when he took on the gang of five kids and managed to only escape with a few scratches he thought he did the right thing. Neither child realized what had happened until teachers came to break everything up. The gang of kids were lucky to escape with only a few bruises and cuts. Miles and Ganke were suspended for a whole week following and had saturday school so they could think about what they had done. Though Miles didn’t need a week to think about what he did wrong and feel bad about it. All he need was his dad’s disappointed face while the principle explained to him what happened.

“Yeah,” Miles chuckled at the memory, “our parents were so pissed. I was grounded me for a whole month after that!”  Both boys burst into laughing fit, picturing the memory clearly in their head. “That day was one of the coolest and scariest moments of my life! I don’t think I can forgot my moms angry look when she found out what happened! I think I may have pissed myself cause I was so scared.” Ganke calmed down, catching his breath and wiping the tears from his eyes.  “On the brightside, nobody messed with us for the rest of the year after that.” 

“I’m just realizing how horrible we were as kids.”

“Speak for yourself, I was an angel!” Miles scoffed, rolling his eyes. His friend was many things, but an angel wasn’t one of them. 

“Man we made a really good team back then,” Ganke reminisced. Miles nodded. They were really the dream team. Attached to the hip and having each other's back. Always making eachother shine despite the rain. Getting in trouble and going down together cause they wouldn’t have it any other way. Losing each other was like losing a part of himself. He remember bawling his eyes out when he had to say goodbye. Their parents had to practically rip each other apart when it was time for Ganke to go. After that, Miles refused to speak to anybody or do anything for two months straight. 

“We really did.”

They sat in silence until tram pulled to the station. Together they exited, and walked up the stairs to above ground.  It wasn’t until they reached the Lee household did the silence break. “You live here now?” Miles asked in disbelief. “How had we never ran into each other?! This is like two blocks from my apartment!”  Ganke shrugged, pulling out his house key and jamming it into the lock, turning it and pushing the door open. Miles walked up the steps, following his classmate inside. He stood in the middle of the doorway silently as his friend slipped out of his shoes and coat. 

“Ganke?”

“Hey mom! I’m home and I brought a friend!” Miles could hear footsteps from the kitchen and muttering. The steps grew closer until he saw the familiar face of Miss Lee round the corner.  She looked older with some wrinkles around the eyes but still had the same hairstyle she did when they were younger with her beautiful dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. 

Ms. Lee immediately pulled her son into a hug and showered him in kisses. Ganke whined, clearly not enjoying having his mother being so loving in front of his friends. 

“Welcome back! Who’s you-” Her eyes landed on Miles and instantly her eyes lit up in recognition. “Miles! Is that you?!” 

“Yes Miss Lee, it’s me.” 

“Oh my! Look at you! You’ve grown from when I last saw you!” Miles was pulled into a tight hug. “You used to be at my hip and now you’re grown up!” He could hear Ganke scoff and mutter,  _ “hardly.”  _ Miss Lee pulled back from the hug and smiled down at him. “It’s so good to you! How have you been?” She asked. 

Smiling, he said, “I’m good. What about you?” 

“Such a gentlemen! I’m doing great!” Miles nodded. “That’s good to hear,” He told her. “Will you be going us tonight for dinner? We’re having homemade stir fry!” The thought of his best friends mom’s stirfry made his mouth water. He missed Miss Lee’s homemade food, it always tasted amazing. “I would love to but…” Miles thought about home and how he should probably heading there. His dad is probably expecting him. 

‘ _ It would be rude to say no, _ ’ His mind pointed out. 

Plus he didn’t want to break Ganke’s mom's heart by not staying and eating her delicious cooking. “--I didn’t bring anything to share!” Miss Lee smiled. “It’s okay! You being here is enough! Plus, I’m sure Ganke will be happy to have dinner night with his best friend! Just like old times!” Ganke nodded, confirming what his mother said.

“Mom, Miles and I will be in my room.”

“Okay honey, I’ll call you when dinner is ready!” Ganke grabbed his arm, leading him upstairs and down the hall into a room. Once inside his friend closed the door and turned around to face him. 

“Sorry about mom, she’s-“

“It’s alright! No need for apologies, your mom is awesome.” 

“You don’t have to stay for dinner if you don’t want to,” Ganke told him. “I’m staying. I’d hate to pass up your mom’s awesome cooking!” 

Relieved, his friend seemed to wind down and relax. “Great!” Ganke moves from the door and picked up a controller from his gaming system before looking at Miles with a knowing smirk. “Wanna play some games?” 

“Heck yeah!”

 

* * *

 

“Wow this is amazing!” Miles exclaimed as he stuffed his mouth full of stir fry. His taste buds exploded at the different flavors he tasted. Usually he found anything with a lot of spices overwhelming for his tongue thanks to his high sensitivity to taste though this felt like a party in his mouth making him want more.

“Thank you Miles, I’m glad somebody around here appreciates my cooking!”

“Hey, I appreciate your cooking!” Ganke exclaimed. 

“ _ Mhmm _ .” Miles giggled at his classmates shocked expression. 

“Anyways,” Miss Lee looked over at Miles ignoring her son, “How’s your father? It’s been ages, I hope he’s well?” 

Miles hesitated before saying, “He’s...doing great!” Ganke watched him in disbelief, clearly not convinced with his lies. 

Miss Lee on the other hand took it saying, “that’s wonderful! I’m so happy for him!” 

Forcing a smile he nodded. Soon the subject changed moving onto the topic of school, which Miles would occasionally comment on but would in the most part stay out of. Soon everyone was done with their plate and despite Miss Lee’s instances that she’d clean everyone Miles helped clean. Doing the dishes before he noticed the time. It was near seven which meant it was time for Miles to get home. 

The teen joined the small family at the living room where the Lee’s sat waiting for him to join them.

“Dinner was great Miss Lee, thank you for having me and for the leftovers,” Miles told the older loving woman. “Of course Miles! You’re always welcomed to come back anytime! You are family after all! You and your father!”

“I know.”

“Goodbye Miles, tell your father I said hi for me!” Nodding, the teenager picked up his bag and walked out the door. 

“Bye Miles! See you Monday!” Ganke yelled. Miles waved goodbye before running down the steps. Miles trudged along the pavement, his mind focusing on the sounds that filled the Brooklyn night sky. Cars were blood, flowing through the city and filled the streets. Their horns blaring every five seconds. Despite the time, the hustle never stopped. Not in New York.

When Miles arrived at the apartment complex he made sure to check the coast was clear before walking inside. After deeming it was safe, Miles raced across the lobby towards the stairs.

“You!”

Miles stopped halfway up the steps. He internally groaned as he turned around. 

“Hello Mister Ditkovich..”

“What’s ‘ _ hi _ ’? Can I spend it? Your father is two months behind on rent again!” 

Miles sighed. He wasn’t surprised. His father full time career was being Spider-Man. The teen doesn’t know how he manages to pay rent when he did. “I’m sorry Mister Ditkovich, I promise to tell him and make sure he pays up,” Miles told him, staying as calm as humanly possible. 

Surprised by his politeness, Mister Ditkovich seemed to be caught off guard. 

“Goodnight Mister Ditkovich.”

“Goodnight Miles.”

After waving goodbye, he charged up the stairs, making his way down the hall till he made it to his door. Miles hesitated before raising his first to knock. ‘ _ When did knocking become so nerve wracking? _ ’ He asked himself. ‘ _ Maybe cause you’re late and forgot to tell him. _ ’

Miles forced himself to knock. He glanced down at the plate of leftovers he had. Maybe Miss Lee’s leftovers will be enough to get him out of trouble. 

The door flew opened revealing a disheveled version of his dad. His dad wore an angry expression and simply walked away. Miles walked inside, closing the door behind him, setting the leftovers down before chasing after his father. 

“Dad-“ 

“Where have you been?! I’ve been calling you for hours!” Miles cringed at his father’s loud voice. He didn’t need super senses to tell him his father was mad. “I’ve been hanging out with Ganke and his mom but my phone died and I forgot to call.” It wasn’t really an excuse to forgot. Miles knew that. He wasn’t trying to make excuses, he just wanted his dad to calm down. 

“Do you know how worried I’ve been?! I checked everywhere for you! I thought maybe-“

“Dad I’m fine,” Miles told him, “See! Not a scratch!” He spun in a circle, showing him how he was okay. 

“You can’t do that to me! Especially not now!”

“What do you mean not now?” Miles asked, confused. His dad shook his head, taking a deep breath. 

“Dad. What does that mean? What’s going on?”

“Nothing Miles...just forget about it.” 

“No no no. Tell me what’s going on! If it’s bad enough to make you worry about me I want to know!” Miles demanded. His dad shook his head. “Let it go Miles.” His father’s voice was cold. It only made him more curious at what could cause his father such distress that it made him actually serious which meant whatever it was must be bad.

“No. I’m not gonna let it go! Whatever it is you can tell me! Don’t you trust me?” Miles asked, sticking his foot on the ground. 

“Miles...of course I trust you-“

“Tell me the the truth then.” Miles wasn’t gonna let this go. Not this time. This was clearly important and he deserved to know whether or not he should be looking over his shoulder when he crosses the street. 

“I can’t! Miles just please stop asking.” Did it hurt that his father wouldn’t tell him. Yes it did. It hurt him a lot. 

“Fine! Then I’ll find out myself!” Miles tried to storm off but his dad caught his arm. He tried to pull his arm free but couldn’t. “No you’re not! This isn’t some stupid game Miles! This is serious! You will let this go, you hear me?” 

Miles looked into his father’s eyes and he could see behind the anger was fear festering, consuming his father. Everything was always because his dad was trying to protect him or do the best for him. It was suffocating. All he wanted was his dad, not Spider-Man.

_ Spark _ .

“I’m not a helpless little kid you have to protect anymore! I can take care of myself!” Miles exclaimed. 

“NO, you can’t Miles! This is different than the Goblin or the Vulture! This is more dangerous!”

“So what?! You practically dance with danger for a living!” 

_ Spark _ .

“That’s different and you know it.” His dad looked away, refusing to make eye contact. “Just because you wear spandex suit and symbol on your chest it’s suddenly all different?! It’s not dad! You’re still a person just like me! You aren’t invincible! If Aunt MJ was here she’d tell you the same thing!” His whole body was heavy, his hands shaking, his eyes wet. 

_ Spark _ .

“Miles-“

“No! Don’t  _ Miles _ me!”  _ Stop talking _ . “You think you’re doing the best for me when you’re not! It’s my choice! I chose if I want to put myself in that situation! I’m not a baby anymore!” 

_ Spark _ .

He felt like a faucet that was left running, overflowing, pouring the truth out. The more he said, the more came out. His body had tensed, buzzing with an array of emotions. It was building up under his skin, eating at him. 

_ Spark _ .

“I’m doing what’s best for you—“ 

“Don’t you mean what’s best for you!” Miles snapped. “You only want what’s best for you! What makes you feel comfortable and happy!” He glared into his father’s hurt eyes. However he couldn’t bring himself to stop. “You say you do it for me to be happy and have a better life but I wasn’t happy when I moved schools, or when I had to say goodbye to Aunt MJ, and I’m not happy now!” He hadn’t noticed how close to tears he was until his vision began to grow cloudy. “I just want everything to go back to the things they were! Back with my old friends, the old apartment, and Aunt MJ!  I want my old life! Before all this stuff started happening! Back when you were happier and I had friends!” 

_ Spark. Spark. _

“Miles—“

“I hate it at Visions! I hate it here! I hate my powers!”

“Miles—?”

“I don’t want to have my weird dreams anymore! I don’t want to be able to crawl on walls! I don’t want to be this way! I want to be a normal kid with a normal life!”

“ _ Miles _ —!” Miles felt a hand grab his shoulder and everything when numb. For a split second, everything around him blurred and didn’t matter. Like a water balloon being thrown at a wall, it exploded. The pain gone. 

When Miles came back to earth, the sight of the wasted room left him gasping. Everything around him now either laid on the ground or was shattered. It look like a bomb went off in the living room. However what he saw next sent Miles into a panic.

His father laid on the ground, unconscious, mixed with all the rubble.

‘ _ What did I do... _ ’

Miles looked down at his hands, terror-stricken. His hands had bright blue sparks flying off wildly. He shook his head. 

_ No, no, no, no _ . 

He heard his father grunt but he couldn’t bring himself to look. Miles whimpered.  _ I just hurt my dad. Oh god. I did it again _ . He couldn’t look at himself anymore. 

“Miles…” His father called out weakly as he tried to recover from the initial shock. 

Miles just shook his head. He didn’t mean to lose control like that. He was just letting everything out and then it just happened! He never meant to hurt his dad.

_ But you did hurt him _ .  _ Just like you hurt that man _ . 

That was different. That man deserve it. He tried to rob him at gunpoint him!

_ All he had was a gun. You have superhuman strength and senses. He was no match.  _

Miles took a step back, shaking his head. Why couldn’t his thoughts shut up. They were so loud he couldn’t even hear his dad calling out his name. 

_ How long till you actually kill someone? Who will it be?  _

_ Your best friend Ganke?  _

No.

_ Wanda? Aaron? _

No.

_ Miss Lee? A teacher? A staff? _

No.

_ Aunt MJ? _

No!

Or maybe your own father.

NO!

Miles couldn’t take it anymore. “I-I’m Sorry,” he whispered over and over again as he back towards the door. He couldn’t stay here. Not anymore. 

“Miles _wait_!” It was too late, Miles ran out the door, leaving behind a mess. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to hit y’all with that angst. I’m just gonna be honest there’s a lot more down the road so buckle up readers cause it’s gonna be a rollercoaster.   
> I tried to give Miles a moment to let out all his bottled feelings but feel like I failed lmao. I tried to be as realistic as possible so I hope it’s somewhat good cause my little sunflower deserves it.  
> Also I promise more Peter in later chapters-though the story is centered around Miles and his journey to finding out who he is.
> 
> Anyways thanks for reading!


	8. Rhythm Inside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Waring: Talk about homeless of a minor   
> If trigger easily don’t read.

_ “Daddy! Daddy! Wake up!”  _

_ Peter groaned as he felt a pair of small hands shaking his arm waking him up from his blissful sleep.  _

_ “What is it Miles?” Peter’s voice was muffled by his pillow but the younger super powered kid still understood what was said. _

_ “I had a nightmare,” Miles voice was suddenly small and quiet, “can I stay with you?”  _

_ Peter looked up from his pillow at the smaller party, looking into his big brown eyes that looked ready to start spewing tears any second. Suddenly the hero felt any sense of annoyance and tiredness leave his body. He scoot over on his bed allowing Miles to climb on top and take a place next to him.  _

_ “Comfy?” Miles nodded in response, snuggling under the sheets close to the older spider person. “You wanna tell me what your bad dream was about?” Peter asked.  _

_ “I was all by myself in a big room daddy. It was dark and I tried to run but my legs didn’t listen to me!” Miles told him. “I was stuck! A lady then came in! She was super tall and had long squid arms that helped her walk!” Miles described the best he could. Peter felt his face pale at the description. He knew exactly who the young boy was talking about but he hoped to be wrong. “She was yelling! Saying things like ‘you think you can cross me Morales?!’  and started talking about a deal!”  _

_ Miles couldn’t have been- _

**_No_ ** _. It had to be a coincidence Peter thought.  _

_ Then again, when has anything been a coincidence in his life. _

_ “I wanted her to stop but she didn’t! It was so loud and I was really scared. Then you came daddy! You were Spider-Man! You started to kick her butt!” Miles exclaimed. “But then the yelling got really loud. I heard screaming! Then it smelled nasty...It hurt my chest and made me cough!” The memory of the dream was enough alone to make the young boy shiver. “Smoke was everywhere! I couldn’t see nothing! I tried to call for you but you didn’t come. I was all alone,” Miles voice cracked, “I-I was scared that I’d never see you again and that I was gonna be all alone forever!” _

_ Peter immediately hugged the now crying child. “Shhh, it’s okay Miles. It was just a dream. You know I’d never leave alone. I’ll always be there when you need me to keep you safe and protect you,” Peter comforted, rubbing soothing circles on his son’s back.  _

_ “You promise?” Miles asked between sniffles.  _

_ “I promise,” Peter said, “now no more tears or else I might start crying and I’m not sure you want to see your old man cry.” His son broke out into a giggle, making him break out into a smile.  _

_ “You’re silly daddy,” Miles stated as he wiped away his own tears.“That’s one word people use to describe me,” Peter muttered under his breath.  _

_ “I love you daddy.” _

_ “Love you too Miles. Now go to bed, I need my beauty sleep.”  _

_ “M’kay…” Peter watched as Miles drift off back into a slumber. When he was confident the boy had fallen asleep, he let out a loud sigh as he looked up to the ceiling. His mind replayed what Miles had told him on repeat.  _

_ Miles had dreamed of the night Doc Oct broke into the Morales’s home. He had dreamed of the night his parents died. This wasn’t the first time Miles dreams of something he couldn’t have remembered. His mind spun in circles trying to figure out an answer all while his son slept calmly next to him. Eventually his brain grew tired, begging for sleep so for the moment he let it go and let his own dreams take him. _

 

* * *

 

Peter should’ve known.

 

What kind of father doesn’t know when their own kid is struggling? ‘ _ A shitty one _ ’ his mind added uselessly. How could he have been so blind? He was so caught up with trying to do his best while trying to make sure his kid was as safe as humanly possible he completely overlooked Miles’s feelings. 

The kid didn’t even trust him enough to tell him that his nightmares was back. Or that he had a new power. 

The fear in Miles’s eyes when he looked at Peter haunted him. He looked so young and fragile in the moment, fearful of what he could do of what he had done. Though that wasn’t what killed the older webslinger. In the small boy’s eyes he could see the kid he raised was fearful of himself now.

“ _ I’m sorry… _ ” 

Peter let out a frustrated sigh as he swung through the city, searching through the crowd of late night owls trying to find Miles. Deep down he knew this wasn’t gonna be an easy find and that the odds of him finding him tonight grew slimmer by the second, but Peter wasn’t gonna give up. Miles needed him right now more than ever. He promised his mother to protect him and more importantly, he promised Miles. 

‘ _ You promised to keep him happy too and look where we are, _ ’ Peter’s mind commented. Shaking his head, refusing to let his self pity distract him, he focused on Miles. He could only hope for the moment that the boy was okay wherever he was. That he wasn’t harmed or in any danger. Just cooling off and would return home to Peter could wrap him in a big hug and apologize for everything until he couldn’t speak anymore. 

Peter could only hope.

 

__

* * *

 

Miles didn’t sleep. 

 

He didn’t want to dream. He spent most of the night mindlessly walking through the lively street of New York until he collapsed an alleyway and sat there huddled behind a trash bin. He sat there until the sun rose staring at the ground. 

The events of the previous night haunted him. They replayed before his eyes, and everytime he’d think of his father calling out his name he’d cry. He hurt the one person who loved and cared for him. How could he go back and look his dad in the eye ever again?  

Miles powers only hurt people.

He buried his head in his arms. What was he supposed to do now? Where does someone like him go? 

The sound of footsteps caught his attention. They were growing closer by the second, coming toward him. Was it his dad? Had he come looking for him? 

“Miles?” Wait. That definitely wasn’t his dad. 

Miles slowly raised his head, his eyes trailing upwards to meet another pair of dark brown eyes. The voice was Wanda. His brain stutters for a moment taking in the sight before him, every part of him on pause. 

“What are you doing hiding in the alleyway?” Wanda reached down to touch him but Miles backed away quickly. He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t even keep eye contact. 

“Please don’t touch me!” Miles didn’t mean to shout. He just didn’t want to hurt anyone else.

“Okay okay, I’m sorry,” Wanda pulled her hand back, “Is everything okay?” No. Nothing was okay. He hurt his dad, ran away from home, and his new power was out of control. 

Wanda looked around the alleyway before standing next to her classmate and planting herself down next to him. She quietly sat next to Miles staring at the wall across, unsure of what to say next. The two sat in a heavy silence, nobody moving to speak.

“You know, I’m not good at this comforting thing.” Wanda broke the silence. 

Miles glanced at Wanda from the corner of his eyes. “You don’t have to tell me what happened because I probably won’t have anything to say to make you feel better.” He blinked, clearly not expecting the brute honesty. He was expecting one of those it’ll be okay lies or something. Yet he preferred the honest truth. 

“I hurt somebody I love.” He hated how quiet and small he sounded. He felt like a child confessing his darkest secret. 

“I know how that feels,” Wanda stayed vaguely, her eyes trailing off into the distance. Miles glanced at the other teen, his eyes studying her melancholy and distant expression. Part of him felt guilty. He didn’t know why but it was there, simmering in his gut. 

“I can’t go home,” Miles stated suddenly, “they probably hate me and I can’t risk hurting them again.” Wanda slowly turned to look at him, her baby blue eyes unreadable. “I can't risk hurting anybody,” He repeat mindlessly. 

“So what you’re just gonna become a street rat?” Wanda asked, her voice tight and controlled. It made Miles feel even smaller than he already did. Truthfully he hadn’t thought of where he’d go. He had just left knowing that he couldn’t return. 

“I-I guess,” he stuttered, unsure of what to say.

“Life out here is different than your life at home. Out here you’re all alone. Nobody is gonna bend over backwards for you. You’ve got to fend for yourself. Can you do that?” Miles felt like he was being interrogated. The strict coldness in the question made him doubt himself. 

“Why are you telling me this?” He asked quietly. 

“Because I need to know you can fight when your life depends on it,” Wanda told him, “and no matter how many times you fall, you can always get back up.” 

Miles could tell there was more to that statement than his classmate was letting on. There was so much unspoken tension that it made him blink. “How do you know so much about living on the street?” 

“Cause I live in it Miles!” Wanda revealed. “I know this life like the back of my hand! You on the other hand don’t.” Miles felt his mouth go dry as his simmering guilt began to burn, catching into flames. 

“You have a choice to go back home and tell your your loved one you’re sorry. Then hope they forgive you for everything you did wrong!” The outburst made Miles blink. Pent up emotions were set loose like a tiger in the zoo. “You’d hold them and tell them you love them…then they’d tell it to you back and make a stupid joke that isn’t funny but makes you laugh anyways.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“What?” Wanda finally looked at Miles, her face scrunched up in confusion. 

“I’m sorry that you don’t have that choice,” Miles whispered. 

Wanda took a deep shaky breath. “But I don’t either,” Miles added, “I’m dangerous to people around me Wanda. I’m out of control and I don’t know what’s happening to me or how to stop it.” That answer didn’t sit well with the other teen, but they didn’t say anything about it. Instead they pulled themselves together and said, “So what now? You gonna join me on the streets?” 

“If it keeps people safe, yes,” Miles replied, determination in his voice. 

“In that case,” Wanda turned her body to face Miles, “you should know my name isn’t Wanda. It’s actually Gwen.” Taking in the name, reciting it in his head, Miles decided he preferred Gwen over Wanda. Wa-Gwen held out her hand as a greeting but quickly retracted it. 

“Right, no touching.”

“Well, I guess you should know too that my name is actually Miles,” Miles joked, giving a small playful smile. Gwen chuckled, flashing the other teen a small smile. 

“Come on, I’ll show you to my hideout seeing as you’re my new roomate,” Gwen said, standing up and brushing herself off. She didn’t wait for Miles to stand before she started walking leaving the younger boy to scramble after her.

 

* * *

 

“It isn’t much,” Gwen stated as she looked around the abandoned church she slept in, “but it’s roomy so no need to worry about claustrophobia if you’re into that kind of thing.” 

Miles was dumbstruck, looking at the stated of the place and at the amount of items his friend actually owned. A sleeping back, a backpack, one other pair of shoes, a few books, and one charger. 

“Is this all?”

“What? Not enough for you?” 

“No! It’s not that I-“

“Calm down. I was just yanking your tail,” Gwen smirked. Miles glared with an expression that said  _ ‘not cool man _ ’. “I’ve got an extra sleeping bag somewhere around here, I’ll find it later. Right now I’m starving so I’m gonna head out to get food. You cool just hanging out here by yourself?” 

Miles slowly nodded, still taking in the scenery. 

“Good. Be back as soon as I can. Have fun.” With that Gwen left her stakeout taking her secret exit which lead her to the alley next to it and walked onto the main road. She walked two blocks to a dinner nearby, noticing how pack it was she seemed it a worthy spot to catch something. 

Gwen looked around, spotting a payphone across the street. With one last glance at the dinner she crossed the street towards the payphone pulling out a few coins. She picked up the phone inserting her money and dialed a number.

**_Ring. Ring. Ring._ **

“Hello. Welcome to-”

“65 reporting.” There was a pause of silence. Gwen waited by the phone until she heard a familiar confused deep voice answer, “ _ hello _ ?” 

A small smile crept onto her lips. “What get stuck with telephone duty again?” Gwen asked, half jokingly. 

“ _ Unfortunately _ .” The voice stated dryly. “ _ This horn business still confuses me. _ ” Gwen rolled her eyes. Of course she’d get stuck with the grandpa to report to. 

“Don’t you mean  _ phone _ ,” she corrected. 

“ _ That’s what I said. _ ” Gwen groaned. She was on limited time here and couldn’t spend it reaching an old schooler modern day stuff. 

“I’m here to report,” Gwen articulated, her tone now serious. She didn’t bother to wait for the voice on the other end to respond before continuing. “42 is currently staying with me. I found him alone on the streets. He was shaken up and under distress. It seems his he may of had an accident. He wouldn’t specify.” She sighed as she thought of the boy sitting alone at the church waiting for her to return with a meal. 

“ _ What are you waiting for? You’ve got the boy, bring him in. _ ”

“I need more time,” She blurted out. “I’m getting him to trust me. Maybe if I can get him to trust and like me I can get him to come in willingly.” There was a pause on the other line. Silence that ate at the teen like a piranha. 

“ _ You care for this kid _ .” It was more of a statement than a question. “Please just tell the boss I need more time. I promise I’ll bring him in-“

“ _ If you say you need more time, I believe you. I’ll make sure to tell the big man for yah _ ,” the voice stated, “ _ just do yourself a favor and try to remember the mission. Don’t let your emotions cripple your judgement. _ ” 

“Funny coming from you.” Gwen watched the timer tick down with dread. “ _ Stay safe kid. The others and I...we...uh….w-we miss you. _ ” The once stoic look on her face crumbled as a sad smile crossed her lips to hear the voice on the other line speak their emotions. Which was a rare thing to hear. It warmed her heart.

“I miss all of you too. That includes you Noir,” Gwen confessed as she watched the timer tick down from five seconds. She didn’t even realize she broke the rules by saying the name Noir and not his agent number. “Hopefully I’ll get to see your ugly mug again after this and maybe we can have one of those things humans always talk about  _ family game night _ ,” Gwen’s voice cracked towards the end as she envisioned the scene in front of her, desperately wishing for it to be real. However deep down she knew that it would never real. People like them could never have a life like that. A life so full of normal. Though it was a fantasy they spoke about regular when they were together. However it’s been months since she’s seen the others, and the likely good of her seeming them again and getting to have that talk was nonexistent. However she continued to dream despite everything because what else could she do?

“ _ Goodbye Gwen Stacy. _ ” The line fell silent. 

“Goodbye,” She whispered before placing the phone back. Quickly she composed herself, taking in a deep breath, wiping her eyes, shaking off any lasting emotion. Gwen turned around and walked. She had to focus on her mission. 

_ -Get breakfast. _

_ -Gain Miles trust. _

_ -Bring Miles to back to the Doc _

Now that couldn’t be so hard now could it?


	9. New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miles trying to get get used to his new life and visits a friend. Things seem to be at a steady in his life. Or is this the calm before the storm?

Adjusting to his new living arrangement was, to say the least, cruel. 

Miles was learning things the hard way each and every time. Everytime Gwen would try to help him he felt like a child being taught about the world for the first time. Check you food before you eat it. Don’t walk around without protection. Keep your head down but stay alert. Be cautious of who you trust. Stick to the safe route provided by yours truly, Gwen. Stay out of very public areas to avoid being found. All of these rules were stuffed into his brain like a overfilled teddy bear, spilling out and being forgotten by him every five seconds. Gwen was stressed out with his difficulty to catch on and she wasn’t hiding it.  She’d make him rehearse it like it was the pledge of allegiance and every time he’d forgot any rules she’d grill him on it before making him start over. 

“Miles I swear to go if I you forgot another rule I’m gonna smack you,” Gwen growled. 

It was late and they had been going over the rules for two hours. Miles had either forgotten a rule each time he went over it or would say some random rule that his brain pulled out of thin air. The younger teen lowered himself in his seat, watching as Gwen fume. He could’ve sworn the older blonde had smoke blowing out her ears. At any minute she’d grow fangs and bite his head off Miles thought. “I’m sorry.” Gwen sighed. “All these rules make my head hurt.” He was never the learn best by being put under tremendous amount of pressure type of kid. That wasn’t the way his brain worked. He was always more of a kinesthetic learner at heart. Or brain in this case. 

“It’s okay. Just go over them again.” So Miles did. He recited everything his brain recollected until the sun fell asleep. The two ate scraps Gwen brought back last night from a small Puerto Rican restaurant two blocks down. Luckily his classmate had a connection inside who brought her leftovers that nobody wanted. 

On today's menu, half eaten dodgy Pasteles with a side of a sad side of salad. Yum. 

Miles scarfed the food down like a vacuum cleaner, cleaning out his take out box. Gwen gave him a disapproving head shake before taking another bite of her own food. “I call taking out trash!” Miles exclaimed eagerly, picking up the trash. 

Gwen glared at him suspiciously. “What are you doing?” She asked.

“I’m being nice!”

“What are you up to?” Miles began to feel uneasy under the intense glare. Damn she was observant. Letting out a sigh of defeat, nothing was getting past Gwen so might as well come clean. “I’m gonna meet a friend-”

“Miles-”

“Before you start lecturing me on the rules, this friend is cool! He’s not gonna rat me out! He’s really nice!” Miles stated, trying to wipe the crossed look on his friends face. “Just because somebody's nice to you Miles doesn’t mean they wont rat you out to save their own skin,” Gwen stated bitterly. “Just trust me on this okay! I promise you nothing bad will happen!” Miles swore, crossing his heart. A few seconds of conflicting emotional silence late Gwen said, “ Fine. If you’re not back by the morning then don’t come crying to me that you get caught.” There was no real anger or truth behind her words. Just anger and concern.     
Miles fistpumped in victory before picking up the last bit of trash and standing. “I promise you won't regret this!” He exclaimed as he started walking towards their secret exit. 

“I already do,” Gwen muttered under her breath as she watched the younger boy leave.

 

-

 

Finally being allowed outside without Gwen’s supervision was freeing. He walked through the streets with his hoodie up and head down, secretly smiling to himself as he took a familiar route. He was walking for about thirty minutes when he saw a familiar neon sign in the distance. 

“Hey Katrina!” He greeted loudly as he walked inside the Lounge. The waitress looked up from the spot she was cleaning up to the small teen who just waltzed in. 

“Hey Miles, he’s in the back waiting for you,” The waitress informed him. Miles smiled before making his way to the back, passing through the velvet curtains and walking straight to the last table, taking a seat. 

“Hey if it isn’t Superboy!” Miles rolled his eyes at the nickname he was given. “Haha very funny,” He sarcastically replied.  Aaron shrugged with a cocky grin on his face. “How you’ve been little man? Didn’t see you for what? A week? I thought you might of join the olympics or something with your level of skill!” 

“Could’ve been better,” Miles sighed as he reminisced on the past week. It left him with a dirty taste in his mouth. “What’s up? You look like somebody ran over your puppy.” Miles didn’t want to tell his friend about all the stuff that went down. He didn’t want Aaron to judge him or hate him. “I just been having a rough time that’s all,” Miles stated vaguely. 

“Is that why you look like you got dragged through a trash dump?” Miles snorted. “Is this your way of telling me you don’t like how I look?” Aaron pretended to this about it before nodding. 

“C’mon tell your Uncle Aaron what’s wrong.” Miles nose scrunched up at the  _ ‘uncle’ _ joke. He had a weird sense of dejvu. Like Uncle Aaron seemed right after all Aaron was like the cool uncle he never had.

“I messed up real bad,” Miles sighed.

“What happened?” Aaron’s tone serious. 

“I did something really bad and I’m not sure what I can do to make it okay,” Miles confessed, his eyes falling onto his feet under the table. “Yah know Miles,” Aaron sat up and leaned forward, “as life goes on you’ll learn that sometimes you can’t make things right. No matter what you do and no matter how hard you try. Whatever you did will stay with and that shapes up into the person you’re gonna be.” 

“I think I’m gonna be a bad person then,” Miles muttered under his breath, picking at his nails trying to distract himself from his rising emotions. “Nah man. The fact you realize you did something wrong and feel bad shows me that you’re gonna be a great man some day. Just give it time.” He let Aaron’s words of wisdom sink in.  _ A great man somebody _ . Was this just one of those adult lies to make you feel better or did his friend really believe it that he was gonna be a good person? How could somebody who hurts people when they get overwhelmed be a good person? It felt like such a foreign concept he never thought about. 

“Miles,” Aaron took a deep breath, “I already know you ran away from home-”

“What?!” Miles sat up in disbelief. “How did you-”

“You’re all over the news man. People are looking for you. Your  _ dad-- _ ,” he stated the last part bitterly, “is looking for you. He seems really worried about you.” Miles didn’t know what to say. He spent the week cooped up in an old church eating dodgy food not really up to date with the whole outside world other than Gwen’s word. His dad had reported him missing which means he still cares about him enough to want him to come back. The thought of it felt like he had thousands of knives stabbing into his heart all at once. “You’re lucky you ain’t got a lot of attention on you yet other than a few ‘have you seen me’ posts but the longer you keep running the worse it’s gonna get.” 

Miles wasn’t sure what to say. What could he say? “I’m not gonna rat you out, obviously you need some time to cool off or whatever. I just want you to know you can come to me alright? Anything you need. Money, clothes, food, or even a couch to crash on man you name it.” Miles slowly released the tightened the grip he had on the poor seats as he begun to calm down. “But I want you to promise me you’ll think about going back. It ain’t safe out here in the streets.”

“I can take care of myself,” Miles snapped.

“I know you can, I’ve seen the crazy things you can do. Don’t know what crazy workout routines you’ve been doing but for a small guy like you to be able to break a punching bag with one hit is impressive.” Miles cringed at mention of the punching bag incident. It was an accident he’d hope would be forgotten. 

“But I’m talking about up here,” Aaron pointed to his head.

“My hairline?” 

“Nah your mind. The street changes you in ways I don’t want you to experience.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ve got a friend helping me out.”

“A friend?” Aaron’s face scrunched up in confusion before he stopped to think for a minute. “What friend?” He asked. “The new girl I told you about! Her name is Gwen, she lives in the streets as well! She’s helping me out.” The name must’ve been familiar by the look that passed on the older adult’s face. His eyes flashing with recognition before being buried away.  

“Gwen huh? She nice to you?”

“Yeah! She’s really cool! Me and her are crashing at this old church place down by third,” Miles told him. “That’s cool man, but be cautious okay? Don’t trust everybody you meet-”

“I know. That’s what she told me.” Aaron nodded, looking off into the distance, deep in thought. A minute past of pure heavy silence until Miles caught a glimpse at the time on the clock. 

“Hey um...I should get going. I can’t stay out too long,” Miles told the adult. Aaron snapped out of his thoughts, nodding before pulling out his wallet. He pulled out a wad of cash and placed it in front of Miles. 

“Aaron I can-”

“Spend it wisely alright,” Aaron said ignoring him, “don’t use it all right away no matter how tempting it is or else you’ll regret it.” 

“Thank you,” Miles said, seeing that he won't win if he argues.

“Alright kid, I’ll see you…”

“I don’t know,” Miles told him glumly. Aaron simply nodded. “Well I’ll be waiting kiddo.” Miles cringed at the nickname. It was the same one his dad would use when talking to him. His reaction was luckily overlooked by the adult. 

“Goodbye Aaron.” 

 

-

  
Miles got back late, he managed to make his way to the church without any run ins with anybody. When he made his way inside he saw Gwen was already asleep in her sleeping bag. He sat down on his bag, glancing down at the money in his hand. Two hundred dollars from Aaron to help him get by. ‘ _ First thing I’m getting is a toothbrush _ ’ He told himself. He shoved the money away deep into his pockets before climbing into his sleeping bag. Once he found somewhat of a comfortable position he took a deep breath before closing his eyes, letting the dark consume him. 


	10. Warning Sign

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miles gets some answers but is left with more question.

_ “Miles...” _

_ “Miles...” _

_ “Miles..” _

_ “Time to wake up my child.” _

 

Miles shot up from his sleeping bag. His eyes blown wide like a cartoon, his body sweaty. He looked around, for a moment afraid of his unfamiliar surroundings.  _ Oh right. The church _ . He was at the church. He glanced over at Gwen’s sleeping figure. Even in sleep she was up tight. It reminded him of a statue the way she laid so still. If it wasn’t for her moving chest he would’ve thought she was dead.

Miles rubbed his eyes tiredly, letting out a loud tired yawn. He felt compelled to fall back asleep but when he tried he heard somebody say, “ _ Miles _ .” The teen jumped up, standing defensively as he looked to the source of the voice. 

Right by the door a woman. Miles felt his body go cold when he realized who this woman was. Her dark brown eyes, black hair, olive skin, and rose scent that filled the room made Miles stomach turn. He’s seen her before. In dreams mostly.

“ _ Do not fear my child. I’m not here to cause you any harm _ ,” The woman stated.

“Who are you? W-What do you want from me?” 

“ _ You know who I am Miles _ ,” She stated as she took a few steps closer. “You’re the woman from my dreams,” He told her, glaring. 

“ _ Yes...and No _ .” Miles face scrunched up in confusion. “ _ The woman you see isn’t me. She is somebody else. I am simply borrow her form when I speak to you. _ ” 

“We never spoken before,” Miles pointed out. Surely he would’ve remembered that.

“ _ Your human brains are always complicated things. Pushing back unwanted memories _ ,” The woman told him vaguely. 

“What is that suppose to mean?”

“ _ You were always a smart child, I think you can figure it out. _ ” Miles felt his defenses drop as the woman walked up the steps and stood across from him. “ _ Though since you seem to be confused, let me explain myself. _ ” 

Miles glanced at Gwen who was still fast asleep before back at the woman. 

“ _ I am many things young spiderling. I am the past, the present, and future. The creator of life itself _ .” 

“Oh great,” Miles muttered sarcastically. 

“ _ I’ve known you for a long time Miles. I was there during your creation, your first breath, your first steps, and for your fifth grade science project where you blew up the laboratory because you got distracted.”  _ Miles blushed at the memory. He shook his head. ‘ _ Stay on track,’  _ He told himself.

“ _ Point is young spider, you and I are connected. From the moment you were born. _ ” 

Miles shook his head, not believing anything he was hearing. How could he? This woman just randomly appeared claiming to be some sort of god or something.

“ _ I’m not a god. Not really, _ ” The woman pipped in, “ _ I’m more of an..energy. _ ”

“An..energy?”

“ _ Have you ever heard of the Spider-Verse? _ ” Miles hesitated before shaking. “ _ Imagine the idea of multiple realities. All with different stories and choices, different Spider-Men and woman. _ ”

Didn’t seem too far fetch if Miles was being honest with himself. In fact he wasn’t even surprised.  _ Why wasn’t he feeling shocked by the news?  _ He asked himself. 

“ _ See in the middle of that, keeping it all together, watching, creating, keeping order is me. Or technically the energy around it, which is what I am. _ ” The woman gestured to herself. “ _ I see every past, present, and future. Providing insight on destiny's when needed. _ ” 

“Why are you telling me all of this?”

“ _ Because from the moment you were born, you had a strong connection to me-to the Spider-Verse. Though granted, there are others with stronger connections out there...but in this universe you have the strongest. _ ” Miles didn’t even notice how close the woman was now. She brown eyes digging into his very soul filling him with a strange warm. 

“ _ Your mother knew this. _ ”

It felt like a stab in the chest at the mention of his mother. “My mother?” He felt like a small child asking for his mother. 

“ _ There’s so much you don’t know child _ ,” She stated, “ _ and I do not have much time till I have to return. _ ” 

Miles wanted to ask more about his mother like how was she like, was she pretty, was she nice? However nothing left his mouth. 

“ _ There’s a storm coming _ ,” The woman spoke up when Miles didn’t speak. “ _ In this storm you will find pain, hurt, loss, betrayal, lies and the truth. All of this will lead you to make a choice. A choice that will determine your destiny and who you’ll be.”  _

Miles looked up at the woman. Her eyes were no longer on him, her body faced away from him. She began to walk away when Miles suddenly blurted out, “Wait! How will I make the right choice?” 

The woman stopped glancing back at Miles. 

“ _ When the time comes you’ll know whether you made the right choice. _ ” 

Then like that the woman was gone. Leaving Miles alone in the dark church. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter but important to understand for the plot. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> After spending weeks writing the first few chapters I’m releasing the first chapter for all of you. I’ve been having so much fun writing this story and I’m so happy to share this with you guys! It’s been a blast!  
> Thanks for reading!


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